Climate Science is the study of the Earth’s climate and how it changes over time. It includes the study of the atmosphere, ocean, land surface, ice sheets, and biosphere. Climate science is a branch of Earth science that uses physics, chemistry, biology, meteorology, and other disciplines to understand the Earth’s climate system.
The climate system is complex and constantly changing. Climate science seeks to understand these changes and their causes, predict future climate change, and develop strategies to adapt to or mitigate change.
Climate change refers to any significant long-term alteration in temperature, precipitation patterns, sea level rise or other indicators of climate. Climate change can be caused by natural factors like volcanic eruptions or changes in the sun’s output. But most observed climate change over the past century is due to human activity like burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), deforestation (cutting down forests) and farming (particularly livestock production). These activities release what are called greenhouse gases into the atmosphere – carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor (H2O), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and ozone (O3). Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun’s rays inside the Earth’s atmosphere causing Earth’s average temperature to rise which leads to global warming.
Over time as global temperatures continue to rise this will cause all sorts of other impacts including more extreme weather events like hurricanes & floods; shrinking glaciers & ice caps; thawing permafrost; rising sea levels as water expands in a warmer world & melting polar ice sheets; coral bleaching & acidification as oceans warm & absorb more CO2; shifting rain patterns leading to droughts & wildfires; displacement of plant & animal species as their habitats shift poleward or upward in elevation; decline in crop yields; increased spread of disease vectors like mosquitoes into new areas; social conflict & unrest as people compete for scarce resources.
We are already seeing many of these impacts play out around the world today & they are only going to get worse as temperatures continue to increase unless we take action nowto reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The good news is that there are lots of things we can do at both an individual level & policy levelto make a difference: drive less/take public transit/bike/walk more often; use less energy at home by switching lightbulbs , turning off electronics when not in use ; install solar panels ; eat less meat ; vote for politicians who support policies that will help fight climate change . We needn’t wait for governments or corporations to act – there’s a lot each one of us can do right nowto start making a difference .