Global Climate Change
by Lindsey Ladd
What is Climate Change?
Climate is the average weather conditions in an area. Climate change is the world's climate becoming more extreme because of something called the Greenhouse Effect.
Heat Radiation
The Sun naturally radiates heat and it travels into the Earth's atmosphere. Some of the heat is reflected off of the Earth, but most of it is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
Greenhouse gases are emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that travel into the Earth's atmosphere and absorb heat radiation from the Sun. If there were no greenhouse gases, most of the Sun's heat would reflect off of the Earth. The process of heat being trapped and released to warm the Earth is called the Greenhouse Effect.
Impact on the Earth's Climate
The amount of human emissions is increasing, so more heat is being trapped in the atmosphere. This is causing the Earth's climate to become more extreme, melting the polar ice caps, making the oceans rise, and shifting the precipitation patterns. All of these changes are forcing animals out of their habitats, making the coastlines shrink, and causing the oceans to become warmer and more acidic.