The day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere including temperature, rainfall and wind.
Climate:
The average weather conditions of a specific place over a long period of time.
Climate change is the shift in climate patterns that have, until recently, been much the same for thousands of years. Weather changes from day to day, and the seasons can be unusually hot, cold, wet or dry, but we can generally expect the same conditions from year to year.
The Earth’s temperatures have been rising for the last 100 years. At the same time the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) has also been rising. Scientists have found that the rise in CO2 has, in part, caused the rise in temperatures.
Carbon dioxide is known as a greenhouse gas. Methane and water vapour are other greenhouse gases. These three gases have always been part of the Earth’s atmosphere. They reflect energy and heat back down to the surface of the Earth. This helps the Earth’s temperatures remain at a level that supports life.
Atmosphere:
A layer of gases around the Earth that acts like a blanket to keep warm air close to the Earth’s surface.
