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What is climate change?
Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide act like the outside covering of a greenhouse, trapping heat from the sun. These essential gases make our planet a warm and habitable place (unlike Mars). Humans contribute to the production of greenhouse gases through activities like driving cars, burning coal, farming and cutting down trees. These activities are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, causing Earth not only to heat up, but to heat up at a faster rate than ever before.
This process is often called ‘global warming’ but it is better to think of it as ‘climate change’ because it is likely to bring about more extreme events – floods, storms, cyclones, droughts and landslips – rather than an increase in temperature alone. Every country will be affected differently but the one constant is a changing climate.
Let's take a look at the Earth
