Just the Facts, Ma'am

I've posted about the different opinions on climate change, but you may be sitting there wondering, what exactly is climate change?  Good question!

First lets define climate.  Dictionary.com tells us,

1. the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure,humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years.
2. a region or area characterized by a given climate: to move to a warm climate.
3. the prevailing attitudes, standards, or environmental conditions of a group, period, or place: a climate of political unrest.

The first definition is the one that applies to the topic of climate change. Here is how Dr. Heidi Cullen explains climate in her book The Weather of the Future, "weather is concerned with the immediate whereas climate is more focused on the long term."

Basically, weather is the day to day conditions we experience outside, like the things listed above in the definition.  Then climate is those conditions in a larger area averaged out over time.  The short video below from Climate Central, explains more.

NOAA The National Weather Service has a great brochure about climate change that I thought I would summarize for you.

• The climate is changing.  This decade and the last have been the warmest since the start of recording in the mid 1800's.
• Some of the change is natural.  This is because of how the different parts of the Earth interact, the land, the oceans, and the atmosphere. The sun and solar radiation also play a part in the changes. 
• Some of the change is caused by people.  This is where greenhouse gases come into play.
  "Carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O), trap heat in the atmosphere causing a greenhouse effect."
• These gases are released by burning coal, oil, and natural gas.
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Here are some other interesting facts and tidbits I gathered from the US EPA website:

• NASA and NOAA both agree that climate change is occurring and that humans are playing a role in the change.
• The average temperature has risen 1.4F degrees, which has led to increased rainfall, heat waves becoming more frequent and more intense, warmer and more acidic oceans, and an increase in sea level due to arctic ice melting.
• While the sun does have periods of warming and cooling, it does not appear to have as much of an impact on Earth as human activity.
• A warmer climate does not mean no more cold winters. Actually, the slightly warmer climate means that there is more water up in the atmosphere, which can mean more snow when the temperature does drop low enough.  But, as the climate grows warmer and warmer the length of our winters will grow shorter and shorter, but be snowier and snowier!
• There is a natural carbon cycle, where carbon dioxide is naturally emitted but then also taken back up by plants and put into the ground. Humans burning fossil fuels is not part of this cycle and has thrown it out of whack!
• Yes, the Earth was once warmer than it is today.  But it was still stable back then, and it isn't stable now. It is projected to warm up faster than has ever been recorded. 
• The hole in the ozone, and thinning ozone layer is a negative consequence of human actions.  While it is dangerous, and poses risks to our health, it is not significant to climate change.
• IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.

In my next post I plan to address different steps that are being taken to stop climate change.  We will look at different government programs, and what you can do to make a difference.