So, just what is climate change?

Put simply, climate change is any change (rise or fall) in the global temperatures, whether due to either human factors such as the burning of fossil fuels, or natural changes over time.

Why is it so important today?

Climate Change is in the news all the time at the moment because of an idea called global warming. Many people believe that as humans, we are directly contributing to climate change through the process of global warming.

What’s global warming?

Global Warming is a rise in the global temperature.

How does it happen?

The sun’s rays have a natural warming affect on the earth’s surface. The rays pass through the atmosphere before being reflected out again. The atmosphere is made of gases called greenhouse gases and this is what the ray’s pass through. It acts like a blanket which allow some rays to be reflected back out of the atmosphere, but some are trapped so that the earth is kept at a constant temperature of about 17 ° C so that all the living organisms can survive.

However, when extra greenhouse gases are made, they are added to the atmosphere and make the blanket thicker, keeping more of the rays (heat) in the earth’s atmosphere causing global warming.

How are humans to blame?

Carbon Dioxide is the main greenhouse gas and is produced from many of our everyday activites such as using a car. Lots of carbon dioxide is also released through the burning of fossil fuels which provides the energy for things such as light bulbs and computers.

 

Now that you've read up on the facts, find out what you can do to help and how to reduce your carbon footprint. Here.

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