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Climate Change

Resources that focus on climate change and global warming.

Climate Change

"Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas) which produces heat-trapping gases." From the United Nations.

Glossary of Essential Keywords

 

anthropocene - the period of time during which human activities have had an environmental impact on the Earth regarded as constituting a distinct geological age

carbon footprint - the environmental impact of a particular individual, community, or organization, or of a specific event, product, etc., measured in terms of the total associated greenhouse gas emissions, and typically expressed in terms of the (annual) equivalent in tons of carbon dioxide

climate change - a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature

climate sceptic -  person who or institution which rejects the idea (or the evidence) that climate change caused by human activity is occurring, or that it represents a significant threat to human and environmental welfare

climate science - the branch of science which deals with the origin, development, and alteration of regional and global weather patterns

environmental conservation - the practice of preserving the natural world to prevent it from collapsing as a result of human activities, such as unsustainable agriculture, deforestation and burning fossil fuels

fossil fuel - a fuel (such as coal, oil, or natural gas) formed in the earth from plant or animal remains

global warming -  A long-term gradual increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere, waters, and land surface, spec. that occurring in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, becoming apparent from the late 20th century onwards, and linked to increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases caused by human activity

ocean acidification - the ongoing increase in acidity (or reduction in alkalinity) of a habitat or ecosystem (especially the ocean)

renewable energy - any naturally occurring, theoretically inexhaustible source of energy, as biomass, solar, wind, tidal, wave, and hydroelectric power, that is not derived from fossil or nuclear fuel

Sea level rise - an increase in the level of the world's oceans due to the effects of global warming