What Is Climate Change? (Simplified)

What is climate change?

Climate change refers to the shift in temperature and weather patterns. This can be due to natural reasons or due to human activity. Due to the burning of fossil fuels greenhouse gases are emitted. This acts as a layer around Earth. 

It traps the heat emitted by the Sun, which in turn increases the temperature of the planet. The main greenhouse gases that cause this are carbon dioxide and methane. Cutting forests down and clearing land can also result in emission of carbon dioxide.

Energy, industries, transport, agriculture and land use are the main sectors contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases.

Climate change is closely related with global warming. The term global warming describes the rise in temperatures across the globe. The current rate of global warming is higher than ever before and the temperatures are rising rapidly. Due to climate change, deserts are expanding, and heatwaves and wildfires are becoming more frequent.