Which of the following is a major global environmental challenge?

Climate change is recognized as a major global environmental challenge due to its widespread and profound impacts on natural ecosystems, human health, and the global economy. It encompasses the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place, primarily driven by the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activities, such as fossil fuel combustion and deforestation.

This phenomenon leads to a range of consequences, including rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and shifts in wildlife populations and habitats. The interconnectedness of climate change with other environmental issues—such as water scarcity, food security, and biodiversity loss—further emphasizes its significance and the urgency with which it must be addressed on a global scale.

While air quality improvement, urbanization, and reforestation are important environmental considerations and can coalesce with efforts to mitigate climate change, they do not encapsulate the comprehensive and far-reaching implications that climate change presents as a singular challenge facing humanity today.