Measuring and Responding to Change

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Climate Change Noun

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[kly-mit cheynj]

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Climate Change

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Significant, long-term changes in global climate patterns, including temperature and precipitation, largely attributed to human activities.

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Example: This diagram shows the greenhouse effect. Solar radiation warms the Earth, and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap some of this heat, causing a warming effect.

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Greenhouse Effect Noun

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[green-hous uh-fekt]

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Greenhouse Effect

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The natural process where certain atmospheric gases trap the sun's heat, warming the Earth's surface to a life-sustaining temperature.

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Example: This diagram shows solar radiation from the sun entering Earth's atmosphere, where greenhouse gases like CO2 and CH4 trap some of the heat, warming the planet.

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Greenhouse Gas Noun

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[green-hous gas]

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Greenhouse Gas

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An atmospheric gas, such as carbon dioxide, that absorbs and emits radiant energy, contributing to the greenhouse effect.

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Example: Gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) trap heat radiated from Earth's surface, preventing it from escaping into space and keeping the planet warm.

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Anthropogenic Adjective

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[an-thruh-puh-jen-ik]

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Anthropogenic

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Originating from human activity, often used to describe environmental changes, pollution, or emissions caused by humans.

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Example: This image shows that anthropogenic changes are caused by humans, illustrating how pollution from factories, cars, and smoking harms the environment, represented by the lungs.

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Fossil Fuels Noun

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[fos-uhl fyoo-uhls]

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Fossil Fuels

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Natural fuels like coal, oil, and gas, formed from the ancient remains of organisms and burned for energy.

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Example: This diagram shows that fossil fuels, like oil and gas, are found in reservoirs deep underground and are extracted using equipment like oil pumps.

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IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Noun

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[eye-pee-see-see]

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IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)

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An international body that provides objective, scientific information about climate change, its impacts, and potential response options.

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Example: This graph, using IPCC data, shows how our choices on emissions create different futures: one with high warming and another with less warming.

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Thermal Expansion Noun

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[thur-muhl ik-span-shuhn]

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Thermal Expansion

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The tendency of matter, such as ocean water, to increase in volume in response to a rise in temperature.

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Example: When the coloured water in the flask is heated, its particles gain energy and move apart, causing the water to expand and rise up the narrow tube.

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Carbon Sequestration Noun

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[kar-buhn see-kwes-trey-shuhn]

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Carbon Sequestration

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The long-term process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide to mitigate its effects on the global climate.

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Example: Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store the carbon in their trunks, roots, and the surrounding soil, removing it from the air.

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Sustainability Noun

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[suh-steyn-uh-bil-i-tee]

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Sustainability

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The practice of meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

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Example: This image shows how a growing population increases demand on limited resources like water, illustrating the problem of scarcity that sustainability aims to solve.

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Biosphere Noun

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[bahy-oh-sfeer]

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Biosphere

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The global ecological system that integrates all living beings and their relationships with the Earth's physical elements.

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Example: This diagram shows the biosphere is the zone of life on Earth, including parts of the land (lithosphere), water (hydrosphere), and air (atmosphere).