What is Climate Change?

Climate change is the long-term alteration of Earth’s climate, primarily driven by human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial emissions, which release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, causing global temperatures to rise and leading to extreme weather events, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, droughts, and disruptions to ecosystems and agriculture.

Causes of Climate Change:

Greenhouse Gases: Certain gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun, creating a “greenhouse effect.” The main greenhouse gases are:

Carbon Dioxide (CO2): Released by burning fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas), deforestation, and some industrial processes.

Methane (CH4): Emitted during the production and transport of coal, oil, and natural gas, as well as from livestock and other agricultural practices.

Nitrous Oxide (N2O): Released from agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during the combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste.

Fluorinated Gases: Synthetic gases used in various industrial applications.

Deforestation: significantly contributes to climate change by disrupting the Earth’s natural carbon balance. Trees and forests act as powerful carbon sinks, meaning they absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. When forests are cut down or burned — whether for agriculture, logging, or urban development — two major things happen:

1. Loss of Carbon Absorption: Fewer trees mean less CO₂ is being removed from the atmosphere. This allows more greenhouse gases to remain in the air, trapping heat and contributing to global warming.
2. Release of Stored Carbon: Trees store carbon in their trunks, branches, leaves, and roots. When they are burned or decay after being cut, this carbon is released back into the atmosphere as CO₂, further increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases

Industrial activities contribute to climate change by releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases primarily carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) into the atmosphere during the production and use of energy, goods, and materials. Factories, power plants, and manufacturing facilities burn fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas to generate energy for production processes. This combustion releases CO₂, the leading cause of global warming. In addition, industries like cement, steel, and chemical manufacturing emit other potent greenhouse gases as byproducts. Some processes, like refining oil or producing fertilizers, release methane and nitrous oxide, which have a much higher warming potential than CO₂.

Moreover, industries often contribute to deforestation to clear land for mining or infrastructure and produce waste that releases harmful gases when decomposing or burned.

Agriculture: Farming activities, such as livestock production and rice cultivation, release methane and nitrous oxide.

Basic Concepts:

• Global Warming: The increase in Earth’s average surface temperature due to rising levels of greenhouse gases.
• Climate vs. Weather: Weather refers to short-term changes in the atmosphere, like rain or sunshine. Climate is the average weather in a place over a long period (30 years or more).
• Climate System: Includes the atmosphere, oceans, ice caps, and biosphere, all interacting to determine the climate.