Climate Change

Weather is the short-term changes we see in temperature, clouds, precipitation, humidity and wind in a place or region. Weather can vary greatly from one day to the next, or even within the same day. For instance, the weather may be cloudy and cool in the morning but sunny and warm in the afternoon. When these conditions are measured and averaged over a long period of time, it is termed CLIMATE.

Climate of a region or place is therefore its weather averaged over many years. The standard averaging period is 30 years, but other periods may be used depending on the purpose. The difference between climate and weather is usually summarized by the popular phrase “climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.”

From the above premise, climate change can simply be said to be a change in the average weather of a region. This could be a change in a region’s average annual rainfall or temperature. Climate change is also a change in the earth’s overall climate. Our earth is become warmer, oceans are becoming warmer and becoming more acidic, sea levels are rising.

Many places have seen changes in rainfall, resulting in more floods, droughts, or intense rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves.