Understanding Climate Change

• Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other elements of Earth's climate system.
• Recent climate changes are primarily driven by human activities, specifically the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes.

Key Terms

• Global warming refers to an increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to greenhouse gas emissions.
• The greenhouse effect is the process by which gases like CO2, CH4, and N2O trap heat in the atmosphere, warming the planet.

Main Causes of Climate Change

• Natural factors causing climate change include volcanic eruptions, solar radiation changes, and oceanic variations.
• Human activities causing climate change include the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), deforestation, and industrial emissions.
• While often used interchangeably, climate and weather are distinct concepts.
• Weather involves short-term atmospheric conditions, ranging from hours to weeks.
• Weather is highly variable and changes daily, including rain, storms, and temperature fluctuations.
• Climate involves long-term average of weather patterns, ranging from decades to centuries.
• Climate is more stable over long periods, including average temperatures, seasonal patterns, and extreme weather trends.
• A hot summer day is weather, but the increase in average summer temperatures over decades is climate change.
• The Earth's climate has changed naturally over millions of years, but the current rate of change is unprecedented due to human influence.

Key Historical Events

• Earth has experienced multiple ice ages and interglacial periods.
• The Industrial Revolution (1750-Present) marked a sharp increase in CO2 levels due to fossil fuel use.
• The past century has seen the fastest recorded rise in global temperatures, linked to human activities.

Scientific Evidence

• Ice core data reveals past atmospheric composition via trapped air bubbles in glaciers.
• Tree rings and sediment layers indicate past climate conditions.
• Satellite and temperature records show consistent global temperature rise.