1. Climate vs Weather
Weather and climate are two different term but mostly considered having the same meaning. This part will give an brief introduction to what is climate change and the factors affecting climate change as well as difference between climate and weather.
Climate refers to the long term average of weather over a long period of time. There are six main climate zones i.e. Polar, Temperate, Arid, Tropical, Mediterranean and Tundra. Weather on the other hand is a dynamic change in the atmospheric conditions in the short term, hour-to-hour or day-to-day.[1] The average weather over the course of years reveals a pattern. This pattern is called the climate and is much more predictable than our everyday weather. Climate is dependent on many factors such as:
- Changes in the solar energy output
- Tilt of the earth’s axis
- Amount of sunlight the earth reflects back to space
- Concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Climate Change refers to long term shifts in temperature and weather patterns. This can be an effect of extreme weather events. So, when the average climatic condition of a place changes, this affects the local environment i.e. rise in sea level, rise in temperature, imbalance in sea level.
The average global temperature is about 1.5° C warmer than it was in the 19th Century and the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere has risen by 50%.[2]
This rise in temperature due to unnatural activities is called Global warming. This rapid change in the climatic conditions is giving rise to climate change.
There are several factors that influence climate and global average temperature:
- Changes in solar energy output
- Changes in Earth’s brightness or Albedo
- Greenhouse effect
