What is climate change?
Climate change is the increase in the earth's average temperature. Higher average temperatures cause changes in the world’s weather patterns. Climate change is also known as 'the greenhouse effect' or 'global warming'. Climate change is the most serious social, financial and environmental crisis of our time.
The cause of climate change: too much greenhouse gas
A certain amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere keeps the earth’s temperature warm enough for humans, animals and plants to live. Since the industrial age, there has been an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases soak up heat from the sun and trap it in the atmosphere. If there are too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the earth’s average temperature is too warm and there is climate change.
People and greenhouse gases
An overwhelming majority of the scientific community say that people cause climate change – especially people in wealthy and developed countries like Australia. The most damaging greenhouse gases that we produce are: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide. The main ways we produce greenhouse gas emissions are:
- buying electricity and gas made from coal
- using transport that burns petrol
- cutting down trees for farming and housing
- manure and enteric fermentation from farming cattle and sheep for consumption
- factories that put greenhouse gases directly into the air, and
- some farming practices like nitrous oxide from fertilisers.
Impacts of climate change
The main impacts of climate change are:
- hotter drier climate
- warmer oceans and seas
- ice in the Arctic and Antarctic melting
- rising sea levels, and
- more severe weather events.
