Climate change is a broader term that encompasses various changes in Earth's climate patterns. One significant aspect of climate change is global warming, which refers to the long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature. Here's how climate change causes global warming:
1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) for energy, deforestation, and industrial processes, release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) into the atmosphere.
2. Greenhouse Effect: These greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun in Earth's atmosphere, acting like a blanket. This process is known as the greenhouse effect. The trapped heat warms the Earth's surface, leading to an increase in global temperatures.
3. Enhanced Greenhouse Effect: As more greenhouse gases are emitted due to human activities, the greenhouse effect intensifies, causing more heat to be trapped in the atmosphere. This intensification of the greenhouse effect contributes to global warming.
4. Climate Feedback Loops: Climate change can also trigger feedback loops that further exacerbate global warming. For example, as the Earth warms, ice caps and glaciers melt, reducing the Earth's surface that reflects sunlight back into space (albedo effect). This leads to more heat absorption by the Earth's surface, amplifying global warming.
5. Impact on Weather Patterns: Global warming can alter weather patterns, leading to more frequent and severe heatwaves, storms, droughts, and floods. These extreme weather events are often exacerbated by climate change, creating a cycle of warming and disruption.
In summary, climate change, driven by human activities releasing greenhouse gases, enhances the greenhouse effect, leading to global warming. The interconnected nature of these processes highlights the importance of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions to address global warming and its impacts on the environment and society.
