17 Shocking Photos That Show How Global Warming Is Everywhere

Concerns over global climate change have never been higher - and with good reason. For decades, scientists have been watching warming-related trends on Earth.

Increases in fires, floods, droughts, severe storms, and sea levels are just some of the consequences that researchers have observed as companions to the planet's rising temperatures.

Earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the fourth and final installment in its Fifth Assessment Report on Climate Change, which synthesizes and summarizes the best and most current climate science. Its projections for a future wrought with extreme weather events, famines, and extinctions is a grim look at what's ahead if humans don't implementing better climate policies immediately - but the report also acknowledges that many of these consequences are already occurring around the world.

We've put together a set of photos that show stark examples of climate effects occurring all over the planet. No individual event can be taken for proof of climate change - but collectively, along with the millions of other climate-related events scientists have kept track of over the years, they illustrate a frightening pattern and point to an even more concerning future.

Leslie Baehr contributed to this post.