What is Climate Change?
Following the Industrial Revolution, humans have burnt an ever-increasing amount of 'fossil fuels' (coal, oil, and gas) for energy. The burning of fossil fuels creates large amounts of a gas called carbon dioxide, which is the same gas we exhale when we breathe. The problem is that our reliance on fossil fuels has meant that we have been pumping far, far too much extra carbon dioxide (CO2), and other gases, such as methane (CH4) into the atmosphere. This is creating a heat-trapping blanket around the Earth that is leading to the general warming of the planet, hence the phrase 'global warming'.
But different places are experiencing different degrees of warming, for example the Arctic is warming the fastest, with some locations actually getting cooler in the short term. This complexity is why people prefer to use the term 'climate change', because it is more accurate. The earth is generally getting warmer, and it is drastically going to change the planet's climate. British Columbia is already feeling the effects.
Climate Change links
- A summary of where greenhouse gases come from in BC
- ''Climate Change 101' (external link)
- A good, brief summary of climate change as it impacts BC is between pages 6 and 9 of BC's Climate Action Plan (external link)
- The most in-depth, scientific, peer-reviewed information on climate change worldwide can be found on the website of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (external link)
