What Do We Mean by “Climate” and “Climate Change”?

Abstract

Climate change is all over the news. But what exactly do we mean by “climate” and “climate change?” The word “climate” describes the average state of the atmosphere. It is a result of the composition and interactions between the natural elements: the air, oceans, plants and animals, ice and snow, and rocks. There are several different climate zones around the world. The state of the global climate is described by the average global air temperature. This temperature depends on how much heat the Earth receives from the Sun and how much of this heat is sent back to space. If the amount of heat received through the sun’s rays or the composition of one or several of the natural elements changes, the amount of heat taken up by the Earth changes. All elements are connected and constantly interacting, and this has consequences for the whole planet: climate change.