To understand climate science and sustainability, you must first understand the terms associated with the topic. Let’s break them down, one by one.

The Greenhouse Effect

Earth’s atmosphere retains heat from the sun because of greenhouse gases, including methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor. This warmth makes the abundance of life on Earth possible. However, the burning of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil) has changed the mix of gases in the atmosphere, meaning more and more heat is being trapped. This extra heat drives up global temperatures, but also increases the energy in the weather system.

Attribution Science 

All weather events have multiple causes. Although many types of extreme weather events are occurring more frequently in many parts of the world, this is not the case for all weather events everywhere. Scientists use the practice of attribution science to determine if (and to what extent) an extreme weather event was influenced by human-driven climate change.

By using computer-programmed climate models, scientists can compare current climate conditions with the climate conditions that might exist in a world without human influence. 

Impacts of Climate Change

Some of the most visible impacts of climate change are an increase in the average global temperature, more destructive storms, wildfires, extreme heat events, glacier melt, sea-level rise, droughts and flooding. 

Studies show that climate change increases the frequency and level of destruction of extreme weather events. It impacts precipitation as well as global temperatures. A warmer ocean and a warmer atmosphere lead to heavier precipitation, which can cause flooding and other disasters. Climate change also alters atmospheric circulation, so ecosystems that already tend to be wet or dry are pushed to extremes (like flooding or droughts).

Additionally, climate change causes biodiversity loss and accelerates extinction rates (which are occurring 1,000 times faster than in pre-human times). Changes in the behavior of living organisms, the distribution of species, the spread of invasive species, habitat loss and other factors that all contribute to biodiversity loss.