Global Warming

1. Climate change, what it
   is
2. Greenhouse effect, climate change, and
   global warming
3. Climate and Weather
4. Greenhouse Effect
5. What is the
   climate system?
6. Climate"s
   come a long way!
7. Can we change the
   climate?
8. When do you send
   greenhouse gases into the air?
9. So… What"s the big
   deal?
10. We can make a
    difference!

Climate change, what it
is

Earth has warmed by about 1 over the
past 100 years. But why? And how? Well, scientists are not
exactly sure. The Earth could be getting warmer on its own, but
many of the world's leading climate
scientists think that things people do are helping to make the
Earth warmer.

GREENHOUSE EFFECT, CLIMATE
CHANGE, AND GLOBAL WARMING

The Greenhouse Effect: Scientists are sure about the greenhouse
effect. They know that greenhouse gases
make the Earth warmer by trapping energy in the atmosphere.

Climate Change: Climate is the long-term average of a
region's weather events
lumped together. For example, it's possible that a winter day in
Buffalo, New York, could be sunny and mild, but the average
weather – the climate – tells us that Buffalo's winters will
mainly be cold and include snow and rain. Climate change
represents a change in these long-term weather patterns. They can
become warmer or colder. Annual amounts of rainfall or snowfall
can increase or decrease.

Global Warming: Global warming refers to an average
increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes
in climate. A warmer Earth may lead to changes in rainfall
patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on
plants, wildlife, and humans. When scientists talk about the
issue of climate change, their concern is about global warming
caused by human activities.

Climate and
Weather

Weather
is all around us. Weather may be one of the first things you
notice after you wake up. Chances are, if it is cold and snowing,
you'll wear a jacket when you go outside. If it's hot and sunny,
you may wear shorts.

Sounds pretty simple, right? But what about climate?
How is it different from weather? And what is weather,
exactly?

Weather

Weather describes whatever is happening outdoors in a given
place at a given time. Weather is what happens from minute to
minute. The weather can change a lot within a very short time.
For example, it may rain for an hour and then become sunny and
clear. Weather is what we hear about on the television news every
night. Weather includes daily changes in precipitation,
barometric
pressure, temperature, and wind conditions in a given
location. What is your weather like today?

Climate

Climate describes the total of all weather occurring over a
period of years in a given place. This includes average weather
conditions, regular weather sequences (like winter, spring,
summer, and fall), and special weather events (like tornadoes and
floods). Climate tells us what it's usually like in the place
where you live. San Diego is known as having a mild climate, New
Orleans a humid climate, Buffalo a snowy climate, and Seattle a
rainy climate. How would you describe the climate where you
live?

Greenhouse
Effect

The greenhouse
effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences
because certain gases in the
atmosphere
(water vapor, carbon
dioxide, nitrous
oxide, and methane,
for example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat
would escape back into space and Earth"s average temperature
would be about 60ºF
colder. Because of how they warm our world, these gases are
referred to as greenhouse
gases.