"In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to Earth's climate."
A long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth's local, regional, and global climates.
Greenhouse effect: The process by which certain gases in the atmosphere trap heat and warm the planet's surface.
Carbon cycle: The movement of carbon through living organisms, the ocean, and the atmosphere.
Climate system: The complex interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, land, and ice that determine the Earth's climate.
Anthropogenic climate change: Climate change caused by human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
Climate modeling: The use of computer simulations to predict how the climate will change in response to various factors.
Climate feedbacks: The ways in which changes in the climate can amplify or dampen its own effects.
Impacts of climate change: The effects of climate change on ecosystems, economies, and human societies.
Mitigation: Strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the rate of climate change.
Adaptation: Strategies to help societies and ecosystems cope with the impacts of climate change.
Renewable energy: Energy sources that do not deplete natural resources and do not emit greenhouse gases.
Carbon pricing: Policies that put a price on carbon emissions to incentivize emissions reductions.
Climate policy: Government strategies and regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.
Global climate governance: International policies and agreements on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Climate justice: The ethical and social implications of climate change and the need for equitable solutions.
Paleoclimate: The study of past climate changes and their causes, which can help improve our understanding of current and future climate change.
Global warming: The phenomenon of the Earth's temperature rising due to increased emissions of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide and methane) caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes.
Ocean acidification: The decrease in the pH levels of seawater due to increased absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which affects the growth and survival of marine organisms including coral reefs, shellfish, and plankton.
Extreme weather events: Changes in weather patterns leading to more frequent and severe extreme weather such as heatwaves, hurricanes, droughts, floods, and wildfires.
Sea-level rise: Caused by melting glaciers and ice caps due to increasing temperatures, which results in coastal flooding and land loss.
Changes in precipitation patterns: Caused by shifts in atmospheric circulation and changes in temperature, leading to changes in the amount, timing, and location of rainfall and snowfall, affecting agriculture and water resources.
Changes in biodiversity: Changes in habitats, migration patterns, and seasonal activities of flora and fauna due to changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, and sea level rise, which lead to loss of biodiversity.
Permafrost thaw: The melting of permafrost due to rising temperatures which can lead to the release of large amounts of carbon and methane stored in the soil, causing further warming and exacerbating climate change.
Ozone depletion: The destruction of the ozone layer due to the release of chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, which increases the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth's surface, causing skin cancer and damage to crops and marine organisms.
Air pollution: The release of pollutants including particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds due to human activities, causing respiratory illnesses and reduced visibility.
"The current rise in global average temperature is more rapid than previous changes, and is primarily caused by humans burning fossil fuels."
"Fossil fuel use, deforestation, and some agricultural and industrial practices increase greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide and methane."
"Greenhouse gases absorb some of the heat that the Earth radiates after it warms from sunlight. Larger amounts of these gases trap more heat in Earth's lower atmosphere, causing global warming."
"Deserts are expanding, while heat waves and wildfires are becoming more common. Amplified warming in the Arctic has contributed to melting permafrost, glacial retreat, and sea ice loss. Higher temperatures are also causing more intense storms, droughts, and other weather extremes."
"Rapid environmental change in mountains, coral reefs, and the Arctic is forcing many species to relocate or become extinct."
"Even if efforts to minimise future warming are successful, some effects will continue for centuries. These include ocean heating, ocean acidification, and sea level rise."
"Climate change threatens people with increased flooding, extreme heat, increased food and water scarcity, more disease, and economic loss. Human migration and conflict can also be a result."
"The World Health Organization (WHO) calls climate change the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century."
"Adapting to climate change through efforts like flood control measures or drought-resistant crops partially reduces climate change risks, although some limits to adaptation have already been reached."
"Poorer communities are responsible for a small share of global emissions, yet have the least ability to adapt and are most vulnerable to climate change."
"Many climate change impacts are already felt at the current 1.2 °C (2.2 °F) level of warming."
"Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, nations collectively agreed to keep warming 'well under 2 °C'."
"With pledges made under the Agreement, global warming would still reach about 2.7 °C (4.9 °F) by the end of the century."
"Limiting warming to 1.5 °C will require halving emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050."
"Reducing emissions requires generating electricity from low-carbon sources rather than burning fossil fuels."
"This change includes phasing out coal and natural gas-fired power plants, vastly increasing use of wind, solar, nuclear and other types of renewable energy."
"Carbon can also be removed from the atmosphere, for instance by increasing forest cover and farming with methods that capture carbon in soil."
"Electricity generated from non-carbon-emitting sources will need to replace fossil fuels for powering transportation, heating buildings, and operating industrial facilities."
"Carbon can also be removed from the atmosphere, for instance by increasing forest cover and farming with methods that capture carbon in soil."