Climate Change and Global Warming

Global Warming

Refers only to the Earth's rising surface temperature

Climate Change

Includes warming and the "side effects" of warming—like melting glaciers, heavier rainstorms, or more frequent drought.

Global warming... (cause)

... is human-caused. Rapid increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from people burning coal, oil, and gas.

Climate change... (cause)

can mean human-caused changes or natural ones, such as ice ages.

Greenhouse effect

The name given to the natural process that causes the Earth to be warmer than it would be in the absence of an atmosphere

Greenhouse gases

Produced naturally and trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, like a blanket.

Water vapor

The largest contributor, responsible for 98 per cent of the natural greenhouse effect.

Variations in solar energy - sunspot activity raises global temperature. (Human or physical cause?)

Physical cause

Volcanic eruptions - large quantities of volcanic dust in the atmosphere shield the

Earth from incoming insolation, lowering global temperature. For example, the

eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 caused a dip in global temperatures. (Human or physical cause?)

Physical cause

Alternatively, some scientists would argue that large eruptions could exacerbate

the green house effect and lead to global warming. (Human or physical cause?)

Physical cause

Milankovitch cycles or variations in the tilt and/or orbit of the Earth around the Sun

(Wobble, roll and stretch theory). (Human or physical cause?)

Physical cause

Changing oceanic circulation such as the periodic warming (El Nino) and cooling (La

Nina) of areas of the tropical Pacific Ocean. (Human or physical cause?)

Physical cause

Melting permafrost releasing large quantities of methane gas. (Human or physical cause?)

Physical cause

The burning of fossil fuels for transport, industry and power, producing carbon dioxide. (Human or physical cause?)

Human cause

Worldwide deforestation , sometimes involving rainforest burning, which also produces carbon dioxide. (Human or physical cause?)

Human cause

Car exhausts and nitrogen fertilisers, producing nitrous oxide. (Human or physical cause?)

Human cause

CFCs found in fridges, air conditioning and aerosols and as a bi-product of the

production of polystyrene packaging, like pizza and burger boxes. (Human or physical cause?)

Human cause

Methane, produced from rice fields, landfill sites and from both ends of cattle. (Human or physical cause?)

Human cause

Atom bomb testing. (Human or physical cause?)

Human cause

Increasing industrialisation leading to air pollution. (Human or physical cause?)

Human cause

Traffic pollution. (Human or physical cause?)

Human cause

Trash dumps. (Human or physical cause?)

Human cause