HICC - Effects of Climate Change Lesson
Effects of Climate Change
Climate Change or Global Warming?
It’s not surprising, many people use the words interchangeably- much like climate and weather. Global warming causes climate change, so the 2 terms are very much related.
Global warming is the term used to describe the current increase in the Earth's average temperature. Climate change refers not only to global changes in temperature but also to changes in wind, precipitation, the length of seasons as well as the strength and frequency of extreme weather events like droughts and floods. Said another way, global warming is one symptom of the much larger problem of human-caused climate change.
Another distinction between global warming and climate change is that when scientists or public leaders talk about global warming these days, they almost always mean human-caused warming—warming due to the rapid increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from people burning coal, oil, and gas.
Climate change, on the other hand, can mean human-caused changes or natural ones, such as ice ages. Besides burning fossil fuels, humans can cause climate changes by emitting aerosol pollution—the tiny particles that reflect sunlight and cool the climate— into the atmosphere, or by transforming the Earth's landscape, for instance, from carbon-storing forests to farmland.
But both global warming and climate change can also produce different impacts depending on the local geography as well as the local inhabitants (plants, animals, etc). Many of these changes will cause unexpected and dangerous affects on life around the world.
Let’s look at what effects climate change is having on our world and daily lives.
Whose Fault Is It?
There is no doubt that climate change is having an effect on the Earth. These effects can be seen in our communities, our state, our country, and worldwide. Many of the affects, rising temperatures, food scarcity, extreme weather events are interrelated – but each deserves to be discussed individually.
Let's look at the factors affecting climate change a little closer:
Wow! There are so many factors that effect climate change.
Use the video playlist below to learn more about these factors.
Effects of Climate Change Challenge
Before You Go, You Need To Know
The following key points are from this explore section of the lesson. You must know the following information before moving to the next lesson. This is just a summary of the key points.
- Climate change is a problem globally
- Greenhouse gases are the main cause to the current climate change crisis
- Climate change affects every facet of our life:
- Food production, daily weather, availability of water, health, and the ecosystems we live in
IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS OR OPEN SOURCE