Climate change
Any significant change in the Earths' climate over a long period. The climate constantly changes, it always has, and it always will.
How can we tell climate change has happened
Ice and sediment cores
Pollen analysis
Tree rings
Natural causes
Orbital changes (more solar radiation)
Volcaanic activity (debris from the eruption can reflect light)
Solar output (reduced solar output cools the earth)
Human causes
Burning of fossil fuels add to the greenhouse effect
Farming (livestock and rice) release methane
Deforestation stops plants from absorbing the carbon dioxide
Environmental effects
Sea levels rise
Ice caps melt
More flooding
Bleaching of coral reefs
Decrease biodiversity
Impacts on people
Death due to heat
To warm to live in some areas
Costal areas lost to the water
Changes to farming
Mitigation
Planting trees to absorb carbon dioxide
Carbon capture and storage
Clean energy production
International agreements
Adaptation
Changes to farming
Managing water supplies
Better flood warning systems