What is climate change?
Climate change refers to large-scale, long-term shifts in the earth’s weather patterns and average temperatures. Since the industrial revolution, humans have released huge quantities of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels and other activities associated with modern society. The concentration of these greenhouse gases, which include carbon dioxide and methane, has risen rapidly as a result. For example, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have risen from around 280 parts per million (ppm) in 1850, to well over 400 in the present day, which is a higher concentration than at any point in the last two million years. This has led to an enhanced greenhouse effect, with rising temperatures around the world and long-term alterations to the world’s climate.
To learn more about climate change in the UK, the Met Office provides a wealth of up to date information.
But what do we mean by ‘greenhouse gas emissions’ and ‘fossil fuels’? There is a lot of jargon associated with climate change, so check out this jargon buster from BBC Earth to familiarise yourself with this lingo.
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