"The earth has a fever – and the fever is rising." This sentence was said by American politician Al Gore in 2007 when he and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Gore used "fever" to refer to climate change – or the climate crisis, as this phenomenon is also known. Because human-caused climate change is causing unprecedented problems for humanity. And the consequences of climate change are already being felt around the world. This article summarizes the consequences and causes of climate change and presents measures and forecasts for the coming years. ( JULIUS BRETZEL)