Global warming and climate change, we have all heard of these words before but what actually is it?

What is causing it? What are some of the effects and impacts does it have on places? And what can
we do to help?

What is global warming?

Global warming is the gradual increase of the temperature of earth's atmosphere and oceans.

Over the past century the average temperatures have gone up by just over one degree. This may not
seem like much, but many scientists agree that the earth's temperatures are starting to increase at a
faster rate.

So, what are the Causes of global warming and climate change?

Global warming occurs when greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane trap heat
inside the earth’s atmosphere. Mainly from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, and
farming. But there are some other natural factors which cause global warming such as

volcanic activity - during a volcanic eruption masses carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

Also

Solar output which is when there can be fluctuations in the amount of radiation from the sun. If
there is high amount emitted there will be an increase in Earth's temperatures.

Finally
The energy output of the Sun is not constant, and it can vary over time, and this has an
impact on our climate. 

Some Evidence of climate change and global warming which shows how it is
changing the world around us.

Ongoing temperature recordings using thermometers have shown a clear warming of the Earth's
temperature over the past few decades. By using this data, scientists have seen an average
combined land and ocean surface temperature increase of 0.85°C since the end of the 19th century.
In the northern hemisphere, the period between 1983 and 2012 was the warmest 30-year period of
the last 1,400 years. 
Furthermore, Scientists often use ice cores to detect changes in temperatures. When snow
falls it traps air into the ice. When scientists take a sample of ice it reveals the atmospheric
gas concentrations at the time the snow fell. This is used to calculate temperature at that
time. The ice can reveal the temperature of each year for the past 400,000 years. Scientists
that study the ice cores say there is clear evidence that there has been a rapid increase in
temperature in the past decades.
Finally In recent years there have been signs of a seasonal shift - spring arrives earlier and
winters tend to be less severe. These seasonal changes could and will affect the nesting and
migration patterns of wildlife.

Effects and impacts of climate change in places.

Antarctic

The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest single mass of ice on earth, accounting for around 90% of all
fresh water on the earth's surface and spanning almost 14 million sq. km. This ice plays a important
role in influencing the world’s climate, reflecting the sun’s energy, and helping to regulate global
temperatures. Even small-scale melting is likely to have significant effects on global sea level rise.
Once the temperature of the sea begins to rise is can cause algae to die which will affect the entire
food chain

Forests

Tropical forests are impacted heavily from global warming in these places there is an abundant
biodiversity even the slightest change in climate can cause high levels of extinction. Deforestation
can cause many problems, such as when a large area of forest is destroyed it can be disastrous for
the animals which are living here and relying on this place for survival. Furthermore, every tree
which is cut down then lets its store of carbon dioxide out which adds to the greenhouse gasses in
the atmosphere speeding up the process of global warming.

Global warming will also affect the food supply. Although there may be ways to adapt our farming
methods change like a increase in temperatures, disease and extreme weather create challenges for
farmers and ranchers who provide all this food for us.

Finally The magnitude of tropical storms will increase causing more deaths and destruction, species
in affected areas such as The Arctic may become extinct and diseases such as malaria increase, an
additional 280 million people may be affected

Ways we can Tackle the climate crisis

In the time we have currently we need to do something to help prevent global warming before it is
to late. Some ways in which we can help with global warming is that you can.

Drive less and use other methods of transportation such as Walking, biking, or taking mass transport
more often. You will save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don't drive!
You could also recycle more which save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just
half of your household waste.

Finally, just Changing a lightbulb can make a huge difference

By replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of
carbon dioxide a year. 

Some things that businesses can do to help are.

Reducing their energy consumption by turning of the lights in and around their factory or offices.

Optimize employee’s transportation by encouraging their employees to take public transport or

carpool together on the way to and back from work

Finally, they can choose greener equipment such as a fleet of hybrid or electric cars and when they
need to buy new equipment if the old set is broken, they should choose the most efficient and
sustainable ones.

Questions

How do we know that global warming is not just a natural cycle?

Global warming is a natural cycle, but the average temperature of the Earth is rising at nearly
twice the rate it was 50 years ago. This rapid warming trend cannot be explained by natural cycles
alone, scientists have concluded. The only way to explain the pattern is to include the effect
of greenhouse gases emitted by humans.