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| Concept of Climate Change |
| Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a specific time and
place. For instance, how much sunlight and rainfall it gets,
how windy it is, and so on. Climate is the pattern of weather
or the average weather taken over a long time period for a
given place or region. Climate change is the long-term
alteration in the average weather conditions for a particular
location. |
| Climate Change does not
n e c e s s a r i l y me a n t h a t
everything around us will get
hotter. Instead, there will be
more erratic & extreme
weather conditions, which will
result in heavier rainfall, more
snow in some places, longer
periods of drought, more
storms and hurricanes, and
more frequent heat waves.
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The world's weather is entirely controlled by the Sun. The
Earth rotates on a tilted axis. As a result, all parts of the
planet do not get equal amount of heat. Different parts of our
planet are heated by different amounts of Sun's energy at
different times of year, making some regions hotter than
others and causing the seasonal changes. The temperature variations between one part of the world and another gives rise to differences in air pressure, thereby producing winds and storms The Sun's heat also warms up the seas unevenly, driving ocean currents from one place to another.
Scientists believe that greater amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere and hotter temperatures on Earth will significantly change the climate across the
whole planet. Therefore, climate change refers to any significant change in the climate
(temperature, rainfall, or wind) that lasts for an extended period of time. Climate change may
result from:
• Natural factors such as changes in the sun's intensity or slow changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun;
• Natural processes within the climate system (e.g. changes in ocean circulation);
• Human activities that change the composition of gases in the atmosphere such as burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, industrialization, etc.
Courtesy : World Wildlife Fund - India |
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