Explore climate science, the critical field investigating Earth's dynamic climate systems, past, present, and future. Understand the causes and impacts of...
Climate science is the interdisciplinary study of Earth's climate system, examining its physical components, past changes, current state, and future projections. It investigates factors like atmospheric composition, ocean currents, and solar radiation that influence climate.
Weather refers to atmospheric conditions over a short period (hours to days) in a specific location (e.g., today's temperature). Climate describes long-term average weather patterns for a region, typically over 30 years, including trends in temperature, precipitation, and wind.
The overwhelming scientific consensus is that human activities, particularly the emission of greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide and methane) from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, are the primary cause of the current rapid climate change.
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) like CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide trap heat in Earth's atmosphere, preventing it from escaping into space. While natural, increased human emissions are intensifying this greenhouse effect, leading to global warming and disruptions to the climate system.