Climate Change

 

The climate is changing. What does that mean for you?

First, what’s the difference between climate and weather?
Weather is what happens outdoors every day. We describe weather in terms of temperature (“it’s cold outside”), precipitation (“it’s raining”), wind, humidity, cloudiness, air pressure, and other factors.

What is climate?
Climate is the average weather over a longer period, ranging from months to thousands of years. When the climate changes, the average weather changes. For example, summers may become hotter, and winters may become wetter (more rain and sleet, less snow).

How is the climate changing?

The Earth’s average temperature is increasing. It’s not warmer everywhere, but overall the planet is warmer than it used to be. Climate change also affects rainfall patterns and climate variables such as cloudiness, sea level, and wind speeds

Global temperatures are on the rise.

annualAvGlobTemp 

 

Why is the climate changing?

Some climate change is normal and natural. The climate has changed many times in Earth’s history (for example, think of the ice ages). However, scientists believe that most of the recent changes in climate have been caused by people.

How could people change the climate?
Burning fossil fuels (such as gasoline, oil, coal, and natural gas) for energy adds carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. CO2 is known as a “greenhouse gas” because it contributes to the natural greenhouse effect that warms the planet.

 The Greenhouse Effect

 greenhouseEffect

 

Is carbon dioxide the only greenhouse gas?
No, but it’s the one humans emit the largest amount of. Other common greenhouse gases include methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. These other gases are emitted by sources such as factories, landfills, farms, and pipelines.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/climate.htm

 

 

 

 

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