extreme events climate change infographic

The overall effect is that the global temperature rises, leading to a phenomenon known as global warming. They are so named because they allow heat from the sun to enter the atmosphere but stop it from escaping, much like the glass of a greenhouse.

Burning fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere CO2 is one of a group of chemicals known as greenhouse gases. One of the leading factors contributing to climate change is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil, which we use for transport, energy production, and industry. However, it is changing much faster now than it has in the past, and this time human activities are to blame. Our Climate Is Changing The global climate has always been in a state of flux. These stable conditions support a very high diversity of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. Temperatures are consistently warm with high humidity, plenty of rainfall, and a lack of clearly defined seasons. By contrast, the Amazon rainforest enjoys a tropical climate. The organisms that live there are highly adapted to survive the extreme environment. For example, the Antarctic has a polar climate with subzero temperatures, violent winds, and some of the driest conditions on Earth. Climate conditions vary between different regions of the world and influence the types of plants and animals that live there. More importantly, a change in climate can lead to changes in weather patterns. In fact, climate can be thought of as an average of weather conditions over time. As with weather, climate takes into account precipitation, wind speed and direction, humidity, and temperature. Despite their differences, weather and climate are interlinked. In other words, the cold winter is a relatively small atmospheric perturbation within a much larger, long-term trend of warming. The former is a weather event that takes place over the course of days, while the latter indicates an overall change in climate, which occurs over decades. This is why it is possible to have an especially cold spell even though, on average, global temperatures are rising. Understanding Climate While weather refers to short-term changes in the atmosphere, climate refers to atmospheric changes over longer periods of time, usually defined as 30 years or more. Weather forecasts are also useful for military mission planning, for features of trade, and for warning people of potentially dangerous weather conditions. Firefighters also keep track of daily weather in order to be prepared for the likelihood of forest fires. Sailors and pilots, for example, need to know when there might be a big storm coming, and farmers need to plan around the weather to plant and harvest crops. These forecasts are important because weather influences many aspects of human activity. Meteorologists analyze data from satellites, weather stations, and buoys to predict weather conditions over the upcoming days or weeks.

The atmospheric conditions that influence weather are always fluctuating, which is why the weather is always changing. These winds, along with water vapor in the air, influence the formation and movement of clouds, precipitation, and storms. Warm air rises and cold air rushes in to fill its place, causing wind. The sun drives different types of weather by heating air in the lower atmosphere at varying rates. It could be sunny, cloudy, rainy, foggy, cold, hot, windy, stormy, snowing … the list goes on. Understanding Weather Weather refers to the short-term conditions of the lower atmosphere, such as precipitation, temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, and atmospheric pressure. It may seem counterintuitive but cold weather events like these do not disprove global warming, because weather and climate are two different things. And yet we seem to be experiencing record-breaking cold winters in January 2019, a polar vortex plunged parts of North America into Arctic conditions. The overwhelming majority (97 percent) of scientists agree that global warming is real, and that it is largely caused by human activity.

Contrary to popular opinion, science is not divided on the issue of climate change.

Extreme events climate change infographic