What is climate change and what causes it to change?

Answer 1

Climate change refers to the recent changes in weather and climate that are being caused by global warming.

Nature has always caused changes in weather. These changes have occurred for millions of years. We know that there are 100K year cycles as well as shorter cycles. These involve sunspot activity, planet alignment and so on. The planet will always change, that is the only constant.

However, the climate change that the world is worried about is being caused by global warming. As the earth's temperature rises, more and more of the predicted changes are beginning to appear:

• More extreme weather events (storms, floods, droughts etc).
• More frequent weather events (more often).
• Rising sea levels, especially if glaciers and the Greenland ice cap melts.
• Destruction of some Pacific Island countries, as well as large areas of any low lying land.
• Loss of species' habitats as plants and animals have to deal with rising temperatures.
• Famine and deaths in some countries, especially in Africa.

Answer 2

Climate change refers to long-term changes in temperature, precipitation, and other atmospheric conditions on Earth. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, trapping heat and causing the Earth's temperature to rise. Natural factors like volcanic eruptions and changes in solar radiation can also contribute to climate change.