What is Climate Change and What Causes it?

What is climate change and what causes it? Our story begins with carbon. Carbon has cycled through the air, oceans, land and living things for millions of years. This cycle allows the planet to sustain life. Over time, the remains of living things became buried underground, eventually forming the fossil fuels coal, oil and natural gas. In the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution swung into high gear. We dug up and burnt coal, unlocking this ancient store of carbon to power steam trains, factories and homes. Today, much of our modern way of life still depends on fossil fuels. The Industrial Revolution changed our lives, but it also changed our climate. Burning fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide, a gas that traps heat from the sun. This greenhouse effect is crucial for life on Earth. Without it, our planet would be 30 degrees Celsius colder. But there is now more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere than there has been for millions of years. As levels of greenhouse gases rise, Earth's average temperature rises too. 2010 to 2020 was the warmest decade on record. Earth's climate has changed before. Ecosystems adapted. Societies adapted. What makes this time different is the accelerated rate of change. It's rarely been so fast. We're already seeing the dangers of global warming. A warmer atmosphere creates more extreme weather, stronger rainstorms, longer heat waves and more frequent droughts. Sea levels are rising too as the oceans warm and ice caps melt, putting low-lying coastal areas at risk. The crisis is here, but there's still time to change how it unfolds.