What is climate change?

Climate change, or Global Warming, refers to the Earth’s temperature heating up, largely due to human activity. Scientists have been observing changes over the last 200 years, including rises in air and ocean temperatures, rising sea levels and changes in atmospheric and weather patterns.

What do you mean by ‘heating up’?

Since the the 1850’s, scientists have measured an increase in approximately 1°C around the globe. Although this may not sound like much, the greenhouse gases causing global warming are more concentrated now than they have been for over 400,000 years. Essentially humans have done more damage to the planet in 100 years than any life form in existence.

What causes climate change?

There is no one main cause, however scientists have pinpointed several human activities that are contributing significantly to global warming. Greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide from power plants, manufacturing, vehicles and other man-made activities are the primary cause. Some natural causes contribute to greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, but the planet maintained a delicate balance before recent human intervention.

What are greenhouse gases?

Greenhouse gases are actually vital to life on Earth, because they help to protect us from the chill of space. They act like a sort of blanket, trapping the sun’s warmth near the Earth’s surface, and affecting the planet’s climate system. However, since the industrial revolution, (approximately 1750 – 1840), human activities have dramatically tipped the balance. Burning fossil fuels, manufacturing and mass deforestation have caused a large rise in carbon dioxide (CO2), while agriculture has caused levels of methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations to increase significantly.

What’s so bad about carbon dioxide?

Carbon Dioxide is vital part of the natural life cycle on Earth – passing between the air, land and sea as animals and plants live and die.

However, the balance changed after the industrial revolution, causing what we now refer to as the ‘greenhouse effect’. CO2 creates a blanket around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat in a bubble, and warming the Earth’s air and oceans. Too much carbon dioxide in the air is not good for the planet or humans, and causes long-term devastating changes in weather patterns, natural flora and fauna, and global climates.

Who are the worst emitters?

In Australia, the energy sector are the worst producers of greenhouse gases, with electricity from fossil fuels including coal and gas accounting for 34% of all emissions. Other stationary energy, manufacturing, transport and agriculture are also significant contributors. You can view regular emissions inventory updates published by the Australian Government here.

What’s the difference between weather and climate?

Weather refers to the specific day-to-day state of the atmosphere e.g. if it will rain today; whereas climate refers to atmospheric activity and weather patterns over a long period of time. Some people are confused that cold weather patterns are possible while the Earth is warming up, however climate scientists are focused on studying bigger picture climate changes and long-term trends.

Will the Earth continue to keep heating up?

Yes, if we do nothing to try and reduce emissions. Humans are on an upwards trajectory with greenhouse gas emissions, and the trend is showing no signs of reversing. Between 2000 and 2010, our rates of emissions more than quadrupled from the previous decade.  If humanity cannot reduce its CO2 output quickly, the planet faces an uncertain future.

What impact will it have?

Some of the more severe impacts include more frequent and intense natural disasters such as hurricanes, rising sea levels and coastal flooding, heatwaves and damaging wildfires, food shortages and famine, longer and more intense drought, widespread forest and vegetation destruction, heavier precipitation and flooding, destruction of ecosystems including coral reefs, public health issues as well as political and economic turmoil.

Read more about the Impacts of Climate Change.

Can we solve it?

Potentially, yes!

Scientists and experts are still debating the long term prospects, but they all agree that we can drastically reduce the overall impacts of climate change by making some very significant changes to the way we live. In short, we need to completely stop producing emissions like carbon dioxide.

The IPCC and many other climate researchers believe that the most powerful and effective way of reducing the impacts of climate change is to put a price or a tax on carbon dioxide pollution. They reference Yale economist and Nobel Prize winner William Nordhaus’ theory on global climate change economics. He described a market incentive to solve climate change – a global economic program. The idea is that by placing the costs on companies, consumer purchasing behaviours will force the largest producers of emissions to adopt less carbon intensive processes and introduce renewables.

Individuals can also make many positive changes in their communities to help reduce carbon emissions, read more on our What Can I Do? page.


Climate Change 101 with Bill Nye | National Geographic


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