Climate Change

Global climate change is a fervently discussed topic in the news, and scientists agree that the Earth's climate is changing. But before going into what causes climate change and how scientists study it, let's clarify a few terms. The word climate is often used interchangeably with weather, but there is a difference.

Weather describes the atmospheric conditions, such as temperature, in a region over a short period of time, like a day. Climate, however, records the same conditions for the same region but over an extended period, average annual temperature for example. Global climate refers to the same variable analyzed and compiled across the entire planet. If you look at the data for average global temperature since 1880, you will see that it has been on the rise, and this is what people refer to as global warming.

One major contributor to global warming is the greenhouse effect caused by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone, and methane. These gases got their collective name because they form a layer around the Earth that is similar to the glass shield of a greenhouse. Just like the greenhouse, this layer of gas allows the Sun's rays to penetrate and then tr