“Climate change” and “global warming” are often used interchangeably but have distinct

meanings same as the terms "weather" and "climate"

What Is Climate? How Is It Different From Weather?

 Weather

It refers to atmospheric conditions that occur locally over short periods of time—from minutes
to hours or days. ( e.g. rain, snow, clouds, winds, floods or thunderstorms)

 Climate

It refers to the long-term regional or even global average of temperature, humidity and
rainfall patterns over seasons, years or decades.

 Remember, weather is local and short-term while climate is global and long-term. An easy
way to remember the difference is that climate is what you expect, like a very hot summer,
and weather is what you get, like a hot day with pop-up thunderstorms.

What is Global Warming?

 Global Warming

The term used to describe a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s
atmosphere and its oceans. A change that is believed to be permanently changed the Earth’s
climate.

Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2), other air pollutants and greenhouse
gases collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off
the earth’s surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into space—but these pollutants,
which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to
get hotter. That's what's known as the greenhouse effect.

What is Climate Change?

 Climate change
 It is the long term shift in the usual weather patterns and average temperatures found in a
place. This could be a change in how much rain a place usually gets in a year. Or it could be a
change in a place's usual temperature for a month or season.

 Global warming applies to the long-term trend of rising average global temperatures. While
climate change is a broader term that reflects the fact that pollution does more than just
warm our planet. Carbon pollution is also changing rain and snow patterns and increasing
the risk of intense storms and droughts.

Natural Causes of Climate Change

 Orbital Changes

The Milankovitch Theory explains the 3 cyclical changes in Earth’s orbit and tilt that cause the
climate fluctuations ( include changes in the shape (eccentricity) of Earth’s orbit every ~100,000
years, the tilt (obliquity) of Earth’s axis every ~41,000 years, and the wobbling (precession) of
Earth’s axis about ~23,000 years) that occur over tens of thousands of years to hundreds of
thousands of years.

 Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic eruptions discharge carbon dioxide and may also emit aerosols.Aerosols scatter
incoming solar radiation, causing a slight cooling effect. Volcanic aerosols can block a
percentage of sunlight and cause a cooling that may last for 1-2 years. (e.g. Indonesia’s Mount
Tambora)

 Variation in Solar Radiation

The sunspots are suppressing heat, the heat flows to surrounding areas causing these regions to
be brighter than normal, radiating more heat. While more sunspots may contribute to warmer
global climate, less sunspots appear to be associated with a cooler global climate. (e.g. ice age
300 years ago)

 Movement of Crustal Plates

As tectonic plates move over geological timescales, landmasses are carried along to different
positions and latitudes. These changes affect global circulation patterns of air and ocean water
and the climate of the continents.
Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change

 Greenhouse gasses- are group of compounds that are able to trap heat (longwave
radiation) in the atmosphere, keeping the Earth's surface warmer than it would be if they
were not present.

•Coal mining/burning-the process of extracting coal from the ground, used to generate
electricity.

•Burning of fossil fuels- fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil or natural gas,
formed from the remains of dead plants and animals.

•Industrial process-are procedures involving chemical, physical, electrical or mechanical steps to

aid in the manufacturing of an item or items.

•Deforestation-refers to the cutting, clearing, and removal of rainforest or related ecosystems

into less bio-diverse ecosystems such as pasture, cropland, or plantations.

•Agricultural activities-ploughing fields releases carbon dioxide in the soil, and rice cultivation
and livestock breeding both emit large quantities of methane.

Effects of Climate Change to Environment:

 Melting glaciers

 Flood

 Drought

 Heatwaves

 Coral Bleaching

Effects of Climate Change to Human:

 Health
Climate change poses a wide range of risks to population health – risks that will increase in
future decades, often to critical levels, if global climate change continues on its current
trajectory. The three main categories of health risks include: (i) direct-acting effects (e.g. due to
heat waves, amplified air pollution, and physical weather disasters), (ii) impacts mediated via
climate-related changes in ecological systems and relationships (e.g. crop yields, mosquito
ecology, marine productivity), and (iii) the more diffuse (indirect) consequences relating to
impoverishment, displacement, resource conflicts (e.g. water), and post-disaster mental health
problems

 Psychological Impact

It is shown through peoples behaviors and how they act towards the actual situation. The topic
of climate change is very complex and difficult for people to understand, which effects how they
act upon it.

 Displacement and Migration

Climate change causes displacement of people in several ways, the most obvious—and dramatic
—being through the increased number and severity of weather-related disasters which destroy
homes and habitats causing people to seek shelter or livelihoods elsewhere. Effects of climate
change such as desertification and rising sea levels gradually erode livelihood and force
communities to abandon traditional homelands for more accommodating environments.

 Social Impact

The consequences of climate change and poverty are not distributed uniformly within
communities. Individual and social factors such as gender, age, education, ethnicity, geography
and language lead to differential vulnerability and capacity to adapt to the effects of climate
change.

How is the world responding to climate change and global warming?

The world is dealing with climate change an global warming using two strategies – mitigation
and adaptation.

 Mitigation involves reducing carbon dioxide gas emissions and stopping the problem of
climate change from growing.

-Burning less fossil fuel (coal, oil and natural gas)

 -Producing more renewable energy from technologies such as wind, solar and hydro
power.

- Plant more trees and prevent the destruction of existing forests. Our forests help to
absorb the build-up of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere.

 Adaptation involves learning how to live with existing climate change and protecting
ourselves from the future effects of climate change.

-Farmers growing drought resistant crops and learning new ways to care for the soil.

-Teaching citizens in developing countries to swim in order to survive a flood or storm.

-Creating moving homes, shops and schools onto boats

- To protect against sea level rise and increased flooding, communities might build
seawalls or relocate buildings to higher ground.

Dunbar, B. (2014, May 15). What is Climate Change? Retrieved from

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-climate-
change- k4.html

What causes the Earth's climate to change? Discovering Geology, (n.d) Retrieved from

www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/climateChange/general/causes.html

Bradford, A., & Pappas, S. (2017, August 12). Effects of Global Warming Retrieved from

https://www.google.com.ph/amp/s/amp.livescience.com/37057-global-warming-
effects.html

How is the world Responding to Climate Change?(n.d) Retrieved from

https://www.worldivision.com.au>docs

Nabiilah, N.M (2012, November 24). Cause and effects of Climate Change Retrieved from

https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/Nabiilah/causes-and-effects-of-climate-change
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/fossil_fuel.htm

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:History/Industrial_processes

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