Climate change refers to significant, long-term changes in global climate patterns caused by human activity. When people hear the term “climate change,” they usually only think about global warming where the Earth’s surface temperature is gradually rising over time; however, climate change encompasses additional types of environmental change including disruptions in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other elements of the Earth’s climate system.

Climate change is caused primarily due to the accumulation of gasses in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which trap heat from the sun and result in the warming of the planet and long-term changes to the climate. Consequently, these gasses are referred to as greenhouse gasses. They are released through both natural processes and human activities; however, the latter is what has most significantly contributed to climate change in the past 150 years. Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities continue to be the primary driver of global warming.

Why does climate change matter? Well, unfortunately, the consequences of climate change are wide-ranging and impact not just the natural environment but also human societies and economies. The effects of climate change include more frequent and severe weather events, such as flooding, heatwaves, droughts, rising sea levels that threaten coastal communities, and disruptions to ecosystems and biodiversity.

Thus, tackling climate change on a global and local level is paramount to ensuring a high quality of life and the health and safety of the current and future generations of all humans that live on Earth.

If you’re interested in climate change in more detail, the EPA has an excellent website on Climate Change Science that provides more information about this topic.