Image of EPA map showing the number of facilities emitting high levels of greenhouse gases
Climate Change
At its core, climate change simply indicates "any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time" ( EPA). Global climate change is often spoken of in tandem with global warming, which refers to the recent warming trends in the average temperature of the Earth.
New series of fact sheets on climate change, written for the general public:
- the science of global climate change
- climate change impacts in New York
- agriculture, carbon and greenhouse gases
- farming success in an uncertain climate
More fact sheets in this series will be added in the next few months, including fact sheets on Ecosystem Impacts; Water Resources; and Shorelines (with NY Sea Grant).
The Greenhouse Effect
Much like the glass of a greenhouse, the Earth's atmosphere keeps heat contained to a level that allows life to flourish. The atmosphere consists of water vapor, nitrogen, oxygen, and trace gases, which include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The general warming of the planet is being caused by an increase in these trace gases, often called 'greenhouse gases', which then trap increasing amounts of heat. Less of the infrared heat that is emitted by the Earth is able to pass through the atmosphere when these gases are increased, and instead reflect back, warming the Earth's surface more than usual.
Greenhouse gases are emitted during the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and natural gas). The Environmental Protection Agency has new interactive map showing the facilities that emit a large amount of greenhouse gases.
Consequences
The changing climate is interfering with natural cycles, causing extreme weather events, raising sea levels1 as glaciers and ice caps melt, and threatening many species with extinction as their environment changes and the oceans become increasingly acidic.
Check out this interactive coastal vulnerability map from the White House website.
1. Hausfather, Zeke. The Global Climate in Context- 2013 in Review. The Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media. 3 Feb. 2014.
Last updated April 6, 2022
Weather vs Climate
Global warming can be hard to imagine during long, cold winters. However, the weather in one location does not represent the climate as a whole. Though some years may be colder than others in some places, the average temperatures of the planet are rising.
Visit the Yale Forum on Climate Change & the Media for a look at the weather of 2013 in the context of long-term climate trends.
The EPA has provided charts showing the increase in greenhouse gases between 247,426 BC and the present.
Click here for NASA's analysis of natural vs. anthropogenic changes in the twentieth century.
See the newly created Cornell Climate Change website for many more resources, recent news, and upcoming events.
Earth: Operators' Manual
PBS program on climate change. Earth: The Operators’ Manual dispenses with politics, polemics or punditry; instead, it presents an objective, accessible assessment of the Earth’s problems and possibilities that will leave viewers informed, energized and optimistic. (April 2011)
Climate Change & NYS
ClimAID: the Integrated Assessment for Effective Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in New York State is a state-level assessment of climate change. It was undertaken to provide decision-makers with cutting- edge information on the state's vulnerability to climate change and to facilitate the development of adaptation strategies informed by both local experience and scientific knowledge.
Read information suggested by climate scientists for the public at RealClimate. CAMEL is a interdisciplinary multi-media resource for educations to enable them to effectively teach about climate change.