Currently, the concept of climate change is associated with global warming.
To proceed to know the meaning of the term climate change , it is necessary that, first of all, we discover the etymological origin of the two words that give it shape:
– Change is a word that comes from Latin, specifically from cambium which can be translated as “give one thing for another.”
– Climatic , on the other hand, derives from Greek. It means "relative to atmospheric conditions" and is the result of the union of two clearly delimited terms: the noun klima ", which is equivalent to "inclination of the sun", and the suffix -tikos , which is used to indicate "relative to." .
What is climate change
A change is a modification, alteration or transformation of something. Climatic , for its part, is an adjective that refers to climate : the set formed by the conditions of the atmosphere that are characteristic of a certain area.
The idea of climate change , in this framework, refers to a variation in the climate of planet Earth generated by human action. This climate change is produced by the process known as the greenhouse effect , which causes so-called global warming .
Human beings, through many of their actions, are causing climate change.
The greenhouse effect and global warming
As you can see, there are three major notions that are linked: climate change , greenhouse effect and global warming . It can be said that climate change is a consequence of global warming, in turn caused by the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect is the process caused by certain gases ( greenhouse gases ), which absorb part of the thermal radiation emitted by the planet's surface and "return" it to the surface. This effect generates an increase in temperature : global warming.
Said warming, ultimately, represents climate change on Earth . The higher atmospheric temperature causes glaciers to melt, increases sea level , expands desert regions, modifies precipitation and ends up affecting all living beings.
Climate change data
At this time, we can establish that, today, climate change has become humanity's main problem. So much so that its consequences are beginning to be devastating and, if measures continue without taking action, they could be even more so.
Entities specialized in the care and protection of the environment release some data related to the transformations that the aforementioned climate change is already causing, such as these:
-The temperature has increased 1.1 degrees, the largest increase in human history. If everything continues like this, it is expected that by the end of the century we are in, the temperature could have increased by around 4.8º C.
-Droughts are constant in many corners of the planet, which is really a problem for many reasons, such as, for example, the damage suffered by crops.
-Numerous extreme weather phenomena such as hurricanes and storms are occurring.
Beyond human actions
In its broadest sense, the notion of climate change transcends the phenomenon caused by man .
Climate change can also be caused by factors not generated by people, such as volcano eruptions, shifts in tectonic plates or even changes in the sun's radiation that reaches the planet.