Light

Global Climate Change

Definition

Global climate change refers to long-term alterations in temperature patterns and weather conditions across the Earth due largely to human activities, such as burning fossil fuels like coal, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Analogy

Picture a greenhouse filled with plants. When you add more heat sources like heaters inside the greenhouse, it becomes warmer than usual and affects the overall climate within. Similarly, human activities like burning coal contribute to global climate change by increasing the Earth's temperature.

Related terms

Greenhouse Effect: The trapping of heat in the Earth's atmosphere due to certain gases (greenhouse gases) that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2): A greenhouse gas released primarily from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, that contributes significantly to global climate change.

Renewable Energy: Energy generated from natural sources that are replenished at a faster rate than they are consumed, such as solar power or wind power.