2026 in climate change

This article documents notable events, research findings, scientific and technological advances, and human actions to measure, predict, mitigate, and adapt to the effects of global warming and climate change—during the year 2026.

Summaries

Measurements and statistics

• 9 January: a report published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences said that ocean heat content in 2025 had reached a new record for nine consecutive years.^[1]

Natural events and phenomena

Actions, and goal statements

Science and technology

• January (reported): a Chinese company launched the first megawatt-level airborne wind turbine—a 60x40x40 m (197x131x131 ft) helium-filled aerostat—providing electricity through a tether cable from 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above the ground.^[2]
• 14 January: at Concordia Station, Antarctica, the Ice Memory Foundation inaugurated a global repository of mountain ice cores, to ensure that future generations will be able to study past climate conditions.^[3]

Political, economic, legal, and cultural actions

• 7 January: US President Donald Trump announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and 65 other international organizations—alleging the treaties "no longer serve American interests".^[4]
• 8 January: US President Donald Trump's administration announced that the country would be withdrawing from the Green Climate Fund, which since 2010 has provided funds to help poorer nations deal with the effects of climate change.^[5]

Mitigation goal statements

Adaptation goal statements

Consensus

Projections

Significant publications

See also

• 2026 in science
• 2026 in Antarctica
• Climatology § History
• History of climate change policy and politics
• History of climate change science
• Politics of climate change § History
• Timeline of sustainable energy research 2020–present

References

1. Pan, Y., Cheng, L., Abraham, J. et al. "Ocean Heat Content Sets Another Record in 2025". Advances in Atmospheric Sciences: 6737. 9 January 2026. doi:10.1007/s00376-026-5876-0.
2. Sinha, Sujita (13 January 2026). "China's world-first megawatt-level 'windmill' airship rises 6,560 ft, feeds grid". Interesting Engineering. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026.
3. Winfield, Nicole; Santalucia, Paulo (14 January 2026). "A novel sanctuary in Antarctica is preserving ice samples from rapidly melting glaciers". AP News. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026.
4. Sengupta, Somini; Friedman, Lisa (7 January 2025). "Trump Pulls Out of Global Climate Treaty". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 January 2026.
5. Schonhardt, Sara (8 January 2026). "US ditches world's biggest climate fund, a day after spurning landmark treaty". Politico. Archived from the original on 8 January 2026.

External links

Organizations

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
• Climate indicators at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S)

Surveys, summaries and report lists