Chapter 1: What Is Climate Change?
Weather vs. Climate
Weather is what you see outside today: sunny, rainy, or snowy.
Climate is the usual weather in a place over many years.
- Weather: changes in hours or days
- Climate: changes over decades
Example:
> A hot day is weather.
> Hotter summers every year is climate.
Climate Change in Simple Words
Climate change means Earth's usual weather is slowly changing.
- Average temperatures rise
- Seasons shift
- Some places get drier or wetter
Humans are changing the climate faster than normal nature changes.
Global Warming 🔥
Global warming is the heating of the whole planet.
- Average temperature of Earth goes up
- Even a few degrees matter
This warming causes many other changes, like stronger storms and melting ice.
Natural vs. Human Changes
Climate can change naturally, but usually very slowly.
Natural causes:
- Volcanoes
- Small changes in the Sun
Human causes (today's big problem):
- Burning coal, oil, and gas
- Cutting down forests
Now, climate is changing much faster because of people.
💡 This is just Chapter 1. The full content with all chapters, interactive quizzes, and progress tracking is available in the Octo AI app.