Climate change Flashcards
What is climate change?
Any significant change in the weather of a region over a period of at least several decades, e.g. increasing average temperature and rainfall
What has happened to global temperature for the last 2.5 million years?
It has shifted between cold glacial periods that last for around 100,000 years and warmer interglacial periods that last around 10,000 years
What period is global temperature in currently?
An interglacial period
What was the Earth like 20,000 and 15,000 years ago?
20,000 years ago - Earth was cold
15,000 years - Earth started to warm up, this was the end of the last glacial period
How long ago was there a brief return to cold conditions?
Between 13,000 and 11,500 years ago, before a period of rapid warming
What has happened over the last 10,000 years?
The climate has been warm with minor fluctuations
What has happened to global temperature over the last century?
It has increased rapidly. This is called global warming
What has the rise been in average temperature between 1900 and 2000?
0.7°C, this is a very sharp rise
What happened to global temperatures from the early 20th century until the 1940s?
They rose steadily ( from 13.5°C to 14°C), then dropped
What has happened to temperatures since the 1970s?
Temperatures have risen even more rapidly (from 13.8°C to 14.8°C)
What is the significant about the temperature increase over the last century?
It has been very fast
What is the consensus among scientists?
That the changes in climate over the last century are a result of human activities
