What Is Climate Change?

It’s been 36 years since climate change burst onto the national stage with James Hansen’s testimony to the Senate that human-caused climate change was happening.

Today, it’s more apparent than ever. Extreme heat, more powerful storms, and unusual precipitation patterns are all signs that greenhouse gases are warming the planet.

We know that burning fossil fuels is the major cause of climate change. We also know that replacing our energy sources with clean, renewable ones like wind, solar, and hydropower is a necessary step in avoiding climate change’s worst effects.

Whether you’re approaching the subject for the first time or are already an expert, here’s what you need to know about climate change, its causes, and solutions.

Climate Change Definition: How Does It Work?

At Palmetto, we define climate change as follows:

Climate change is the long-term increase in the earth's average surface temperature and the large-scale changes in global, regional, and local weather patterns that result from that increase, caused by a significant increase in the levels of greenhouse gases that are produced by the use of fossil fuels.

The specific way that climate change works has been known for a long time. Eunice Foote, who ran experiments back in the 1800s, showed that glass tubes filled with carbon dioxide warmed up more than those filled with air when placed in the sun. She concluded that, “An atmosphere of that gas [carbon dioxide] would give to our earth a high temperature.” Since the 1960s, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have risen from less than 320 parts per million to more than 420 parts per million. While that may seem like a small shift, it’s enough to make a huge difference.

Carbon dioxide works a bit like the glass of a greenhouse (hence the name “greenhouse gas”). Greenhouses (or your car’s interior) let light pass through them, but trap some of the heat. That’s why it can get even hotter inside your car than it is outside. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap some of the sun’s heat on earth. That’s obviously good to a certain extent. We couldn’t live on a planet that didn’t trap any heat. But trapping too much can be a problem.

There are natural sources of carbon dioxide—people breathing, plants and animals decomposing, and even some geological events—but only the last few hundred years of burning fossil fuels, like oil, coal, and natural gas, account for the rise in carbon dioxide that’s been recorded. Other greenhouse gases, like methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons (also known as HFCs), also trap heat.

As the planet warms, temperatures rise, which has a ton of secondary effects. Precipitation patterns change. Long-frozen ice at the poles and on mountains melt. Plants and animals are forced to adapt to new climates. Sea levels rise. 

Credit: NOAA

Here are some key climate change statistics from NASA.

• Over the last two centuries, the global average temperature of the earth’s surface has risen by 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit (1.18 degrees Celsius).
• Between 1993 and 2019, there was an annual loss of 279 billion tons of ice in Greenland and 148 billion tons of ice in Antarctica, as ice sheets break off and eventually melt.
• There has been a 0.6 degree Fahrenheit (0.33 degree Celsius) rise in the temperature of the top 100 meters of the ocean since 1969.

As climate change science gets more precise, it's revealing how a warmer planet is making storms, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather worse.

Climate Change Causes

Earth’s climate has changed over its history, but the rate and scale of change occurring now can only be explained by the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Still, natural causes can have a demonstrable effect, like when Mount Pinatubo’s eruption reduced global temperatures by 0.5 degrees Celsius in the following year. Changes in the sun’s 11-year cycle of brightness also have a small effect.

Unfortunately, those natural causes can’t explain the sustained level of warming that Earth is experiencing. That can only be explained by human activity.

Human causes of climate change

Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of climate change. However, there are different ways they’re used and non-fossil fuel factors play a role, too.

• Fossil fuels: When fossil fuels are burned, whether to fuel a vehicle, generate electricity, or manufacture some good, they release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Extracting fossil fuels from the ground and transporting them can also contribute in the form of methane leaks.
• Manufacturing: Making things takes energy, which often comes from fossil fuels. Sometimes the process of making the product (like cement) releases greenhouse gases.
• Transportation: Most vehicles used to move people and good run on fossil fuels. The cement used to build transportation infrastructure is also a significant source of greenhouse gases. 
• Deforestation: Plants breathe in and store carbon dioxide, which makes them an essential part of life on this planet. When trees are cut down without planting new ones, that carbon dioxide goes back to the atmosphere.
• Agribusiness:Everyone needs to eat, but some foods have a larger impact on the climate. Diets rich in plants and low in meat produce fewer carbon emissions.

What are Greenhouse Gases?

Greenhouse gases are the gases that contribute directly to the greenhouse effect by trapping heat in the atmosphere. Some of the greenhouse gases include:

• Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere, resulting in global warming. While there are natural sources of carbon dioxide (like your breath), the amounts causing global warming can only come from burning fossil fuels. It can stay in the atmosphere for 300 to 1,000 years, according to NASA.
• Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, though it lasts a shorter time in the atmosphere. 
• Nitrous oxide can remain in the atmosphere for 150 years, and is about 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
• Chlorofluorocarbons are used as refrigerants and aerosols. When they leak into the atmosphere, they contribute to the greenhouse effect.
• Hydrofluorocarbons were primarily used in refrigeration. They have been replaced by chlorofluorocarbons, but they still contribute to global warming.

Source: NOAA

Again, the greenhouse effect (and greenhouse gases) aren’t always a bad thing. Earth is habitable thanks to our atmosphere and its greenhouse effect. But too strong of a greenhouse effect can be bad, and throw off the balance that’s been around the entire time humans have been on Earth.

Climate Change Effects

Climate change impacts our world in a wide variety of ways.

• Weather: Unpredictable weather patterns can make food production difficult. Extreme weather will get worse thanks to climate change and be more costly, damaging, and dangerous. Heat waves, hurricanes, and more are likely to become more frequent and severe.
• Sea level rise: As polar ice caps melt and oceans warm, sea levels begin to rise. This could displace millions of people worldwide as well as destroy coastal ecosystems.
• Ocean acidification: As the oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, they become increasingly acidic, which can be dangerous to coral and marine life.
• Plant and animal life: Plants and animals will need to adapt to changes in long established seasonal and weather patterns. Many plants and animals face extinction from climate change. 
• Businesses: Extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes and tornadoes can destroy vast amounts of property. As such, businesses suffer the losses that these tragedies bring.

What Is the Difference Between Weather and Climate?

Climate change deniers frequently confuse weather and climate. If you’ve ever heard someone say that global warming doesn’t exist because of a recent extended cold snap that brought record low temperatures, you know what we mean.

For the record, here’s the difference.

• Weather: The local meteorological conditions experienced over short periods of time, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed, humidity, and visibility.
• Climate: The long-term average of patterns and trends in weather over longer time periods.

What is the Difference Between Global Warming and Climate Change?

The two most popular terms used to describe the earth's increasing temperatures are global warming and climate change. These relate to both short-term and long-term trends for both weather and climate. While they're often used interchangeably, there's a slight difference between them.

• Global warming: The rising average temperature of the earth's lower layers, including the ocean and atmosphere due to heat being trapped in the earth's atmosphere due to greenhouse gases.
• Climate change: The entire group of changes due to greenhouse gas accumulation, including warming, but also changes in precipitation patterns, melting ice, rising seas, and more. 

Although used in conjunction with global warming, climate change doesn't specifically refer to warming or its causes. Thus, it’s often the preferred term because of its broader application.

For more in-depth information, read our “What is Global Warming?” article.

How Is Climate Change Measured?

Given that climate change is something that occurs over a long period of time, measuring it can be challenging. Scientists track it in a few different ways.

• Surface temperature: This is the temperature of the air, land, and water on the surface level. It is a direct measure of global warming. The global annual average temperature has risen more than 1° Celsius from the average at the start of the Industrial Revolution. 
• Sea level rise: While this is a slower process, melted ice and warmer oceans causes sea levels to rise. Since 1880, sea levels have risen about 8-9 inches, though not evenly around the world.
• Parts per million of greenhouse gases: This is the measurement of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide has risen from belo 320 ppm to more than 420 ppm since 1960.

Can We Slow Down Climate Change?

While people have a role in causing climate change, they can also play a role in fixing it. Because of that, combating climate change by creating a clean energy future is the driving Plametto's driving mission as a company. Addressing climate change will take people acting at the individual level and, even more importantly, as companies, governments, and international organizations.

Credit: IPCC

On the national and international level, several big developments have occurred in the last decade.

The Paris Agreement set the goal of keeping global temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, an important mark for avoiding the worst effects of climate change.

In the US, 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act established valuable tax credits for clean energy technologies for manufacturing and for improvements at home, like solar panels and heat pumps.

Residential and commercial buildings account for 31% of US greenhouse gas emissions, so switching your home to electric appliances run on clean energy is one significant step you can take.

Other steps you can take to slow down climate change include:

• Electing people at every level of government who are committed to passing laws and enacting policies that defeat climate change
• Reducing the amount of single-use, disposable plastic items, including bags, bottles, and silverware
• Turning off lights and electrical appliances when they're not in use
• Eating less meat
• Reducing hot water use, as water heating accounts for 18% of your home energy use, per the Department of Energy
• Adjust your thermostat. Space heating and air conditioning account for half of the average home’s energy use.
• Adopt solar. Generating your own, clean energy can reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and may save you money in the long run.

These changes are small, but can add up. Addressing climate change will require a move toward renewable energy and sustainability in many places.

To learn more about generating clean energy at home from solar panels, reach out to a Palmetto solar advisor today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main causes of climate change?

Burning fossil fuels for energy, manufacturing, and transportation is the leading source of greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere. Deforestation, food production, and overconsumption are other factors.

What is the simple definition of climate change?

Human-caused climate change encompasses the changes occurring on Earth thanks to a warming planet caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels. 

Why is climate change a problem?

The effects of climate change can be harmful to human, animal, and plant life. Rising sea levels from melting ice can threaten coastal communities. Extreme heat is on the rise and will be more common on a warmer planet. Extreme weather, like hurricanes and flooding, are also expected to be more frequent, thanks to climate change.

About the AuthorAndrew BlokWriter and Editor

Andrew has worked as a journalist and writer for four years, over half of those dedicated to covering solar. He currently lives in Tucson, AZ, where you might run into him walking his dog and birding while dodging the heat. He has degrees in English education and journalism.