What is climate change

Climate change means big shifts in temperature and weather patterns over time. It’s mainly caused by humans, especially since the 1800s, who have burned a lot of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.

These actions release gases like carbon dioxide and methane, leading to global warming. Since the late 1800s, the Earth’s temperature has risen by about 1.2°C.

Climate change is a big problem. It causes droughts, rising sea levels, and more severe storms. Cutting down forests and fires also adds to the problem by releasing a lot of carbon dioxide. If we don’t act, things will get much worse.

Experts say we must keep the global temperature rise below 1.5°C to avoid big problems. They urge everyone to understand the severity of climate change and what we can do to stop it.

Climate Change: Definition and Overview

Grasping climate change means understanding its definition and the forces driving it. This global issue involves big changes in weather patterns, like temperature and rainfall, over many years. These changes show a worrying trend that points to a major climate crisis.

Climate Change Definition

Climate change means big shifts in how the Earth’s weather patterns work. These changes started in the late 1800s, and since then, the Earth’s surface temperature has increased by about 1.2°C.

The last ten years were the hottest, with temperatures rising steadily. Data shows that from 1983 to 2012, it was likely the warmest period in 800 years. This shows how serious the effects of climate change are.

Natural vs Anthropogenic Factors

It’s important to know the difference between natural and human-made changes in the climate. Natural events like volcanoes and the sun’s activity change the climate too. But, human actions have become the main cause of climate change.

Burning fossil fuels, cutting down trees, and changing land use worsen climate change. In 2020, China, the US, and India were the top seven countries for greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for half of all emissions.

To keep warming under 1.5°C, we need to cut emissions in half by 2030. This goal was agreed upon by almost 200 countries in 2015. If we don’t, the Earth could warm by several degrees by 2100, which would be bad for nature and people.

Causes and Effects of Climate Change

Human actions are the main cause of climate change, mainly through greenhouse gas emissions. Burning fossil fuels for power, transport, and industry is a big part of this. For example, transport is responsible for about a quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions from energy use.

Deforestation and changes in land use also add a lot of carbon dioxide to the air. Sadly, around 12 million hectares of forests are lost every year.

Causes of Climate Change

Human actions have led to a big increase in carbon dioxide levels, which were 48% higher by 2020 than before. The top 1% of people emit more greenhouse gases than the poorest half of the world. This shows a big difference in how people contribute to climate change.

The last ten years were the warmest ever recorded. Global temperatures have risen by 1.1°C since before 2019. Human actions are making the warming happen faster, at a rate of 0.2°C per decade. This makes finding solutions to climate change urgent.

Effects of Climate Change

Climate change has big effects on both nature and people. We are facing a huge loss of species, much faster than ever. Weather events have forced about 23.1 million people to move yearly for the last decade.

Warming the planet by 2°C could lead to huge environmental and health problems. So, we must tackle the causes of climate change and reduce its effects. This is crucial for keeping our planet healthy and safe.