Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| changement climatique | /ʃɑ̃ʒ.mɑ̃ kli.ma.tik/ | masculine |
| dérèglement climatique | masculine |
Both changement climatique and dérèglement climatique are masculine nouns used to describe changes in the Earth's climate. While changement climatique is a direct translation of the English term, dérèglement climatique is often used in formal or scientific contexts to emphasize the disruptive and harmful nature of the changes.
Which one should you use?
changement climatique is a direct translation of "climate change", whereas dérèglement climatique is used for "climate disruption/disorder."
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, Canada, changement climatique is a commonly used term.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form les changements climatiques is frequently used in French to refer to the various different types of climatic shifts occurring globally. Additionally, the noun réchauffement climatique is masculine.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say changement de climat. However, changement climatique is the standard idiomatic expression for the phenomenon of climate change.
Did you know?
- The term dérèglement is also used in French psychology to describe a mental breakdown or a disorder of the mind.
- The word climatique shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'climb', both tracing back to the idea of leaning or sloping, which originally referred to the inclination of the sun toward certain latitudes.
- The noun dérèglement carries a connotation of a broken mechanism, much like a clock that is no longer functioning correctly.
Examples in context
- Le changement climatique n'est pas un canular.Climate change is not a hoax.This sentence is useful for practicing the form changement climatique.Tatoeba #11284937 by lbdx, translation #5615624 by Hybrid
- Le changement climatique est un problème mondial.Climate change is a global problem.Tatoeba #3394658 by sacredceltic, translation #3300229 by Hybrid
- Je suis ici pour parler du changement climatique.I am here to talk about climate change.Tatoeba #4519452 by Amastan, translation #5742871 by captcrouton
- Les scientifiques mettent en garde contre les conséquences du changement climatique.Scientists warn about the consequences of climate change.
- Nous devons agir pour lutter contre le réchauffement climatique.We need to take action to combat climate change.
- Atténuer les effets du réchauffement climatiqueMitigate the effects of global warming
- Aggraver le problème climatiqueWorsen the climate issue
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are discussing a news article about the environment.
- GabrielAs-tu lu l'article sur le changement climatique ?Did you read the article on climate change?
- LéaOui, c'est vraiment inquiétant pour l'avenir.Yes, it is really worrying for the future.
- GabrielOn doit agir contre le changement climatique maintenant.We must act against climate change now.
- LéaJe suis d'accord avec toi, Gabriel.I agree with you, Gabriel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “climate change” translations and entries changement climatique, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries changement, climatique, dérèglement, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
