Q.1 What is climate?
Q.2 What is climate change?
Q.3 What causes climate change?
Q.4 What is the difference between climate and weather?
Q.5 What is the difference between climate change and global warming?
Q.6 What is the greenhouse effect?
Q.7 What human activities contribute the most greenhouse gases to the atmosphere?
Q.8 What other human activities affect the climate?
Q.9 How do scientists know that the Earth has warmed?
Q.10 How much is the earth expected to warm in the future?
Q.11 What are the potential consequences of a few degrees of warming?
Q.12 Is it possible that we would be better off with a warmer climate?
Q.13 Is it too late to stop climate change?
Q.14 What is the Kyoto Protocol?
Q.15 What is meant by “green energy”?
Q.16 What can individuals do to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions?

Other FAQ Websites

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Q.1 What is climate?

Climate is defined as the average weather pattern experienced by a region. It includes all the elements of weather including temperature, precipitation, sunshine and wind velocity. (Alberta Climate Hub)

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Q.2 What is climate change?

Climate change is a long-term shift or alteration in the climate of a specific location, a region or the entire planet. The shift is measured by changes in some or all the features associated with average weather, such as temperature, wind patterns and precipitation.  A change in the variability of climate is also considered climate change, even if average weather conditions remain unchanged. (MSC – FAQ)

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Q.3 What causes climate change?

• Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas is the main cause of climate change. As we burn more of these fuels to drive our cars, run our industries and make our homes more comfortable, we are increasing the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

• Because trees help absorb greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide), deforestation also contributes to climate change.
  

• Other human activities such as land filling and intensive agriculture are also adding to these concentrations of greenhouse gases.

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Q.4 What is the difference between climate and weather?

Weather refers to the temperature, precipitation (rain and snow), humidity, sunshine and wind that occur at a particular time at a specific location.

The climate of a region is a summary of the past weather events that have occurred at that location. A description of the climate of a certain place would include the averages and extremes of such things as temperature and rainfall amounts that can be determined from weather records. Many factors influence our climate including latitude, altitude, topography and large bodies of water. (Alberta Climate Hub)

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Q.5 What is the difference between climate change and global warming?

Climate change refers to general shifts in climate, including temperature, precipitation, winds, and other factors. This may vary from region to region. On the other hand, global warming (as well as global cooling) refers specifically to any change in the global average surface temperature. In other words, global warming or cooling is one type of planetary scale climate change. Global warming is often misunderstood to imply that the world will warm uniformly. In fact, an increase in average global temperature will also cause the circulation of the atmosphere to change, resulting in some areas of the world warming more, while other areas warming less than the average. Some areas can even cool. (MSC – FAQ)

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Q.6 What is the greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect describes the role of the atmosphere in insulating the planet from heat loss, much like a blanket on our bed insulates our bodies from heat loss. The small concentrations of greenhouse gases within the atmosphere that cause this effect allow most of the sunlight to pass through the atmosphere to heat the planet. However, these gases absorb much of the outgoing heat energy radiated by the earth itself, and return much of this energy back towards the surface. This keeps the surface much warmer than if they were absent. This process is referred to as the ‘greenhouse effect because, in some respects, it resembles the role of glass in a greenhouse. (MSC – FAQ)

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Q.7 What human activities contribute the most greenhouse gases to the atmosphere?

The use of fossil fuel currently accounts for between 70 and 90% of all human emissions of carbon dioxide. Fossil fuels are used for transportation, manufacturing, heating, cooling, electricity generation, and other applications. The remainder of the carbon dioxide emissions comes from human land use activities -- ranching, agriculture and the clearing and degradation of forests.  For other greenhouse gases, primary sources include the production and transport of fossil fuels, agricultural activities, waste management and industrial processes.

Reference: Environment Canada Report on Greenhouse Gas Inventory (2002).

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Q.8 What other human activities affect the climate?

Humans also affect the climate through ozone depletion in the stratosphere, which slightly cools the surface, and by changing the reflectivity of the earth's surface through land use change (primarily a warming effect). These effects are believed to be relatively small compared to those for greenhouse gases.

Deforestation, reforestation, desertification, soil cultivation and urbanization are all processes that can affect the surface albedo (the amount of sunlight reflected by the earth's surface back to space). (MSC – FAQ)

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Q.9 How do scientists know that the Earth has warmed?

In addition to the consistency of evidence for warming obtained from both the instrumental air temperature records and other proxy temperature data, there are many other indicators of a warming world. These include warming of the upper layers of the world's oceans, melting mountain glaciers, retreating sea ice and snow cover, rising sea levels, and shifts in distribution of many species of plants and animals. (MSC – FAQ)

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Q.10 How much is the earth expected to warm in the future?

Without coordinated global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the global average surface temperature relative to 1990 is expected to rise by between 1.4 and 5.8ºC (about 2 to 10ºF) by the year 2100. Even if greenhouse gas concentrations are stabilized, temperatures will continue to rise for centuries after stabilization because of the delay in ocean response. (MSC – FAQ)

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Q.11 What are the potential consequences of a few degrees of warming?

A change in climate of that magnitude would significantly alter weather behaviour around the world from that which we are used to. Some of these changes are effectively irreversible. Since both ecosystems and human societies have adapted to the climates of today and the recent past, they will be ill-prepared to deal with the changes if these are too rapid to allow ecosystems and societies to adapt. For many developing countries, this may have very harmful effects on basic human values of where to live, what to eat and drink and how to live healthy lives. For all countries, increased frequency of severe weather events will enhance the risk of weather-related disasters.

Reference: IPCC 2001, Synthesis Report, pg 91-92; IPCC 2001, WGII Chapters 4, 5, and 18.

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Q.12 Is it possible that we would be better off with a warmer climate?

For cold countries such as Canada, climate change can indeed provide some significant benefits, like reduced space heating costs and longer, warmer growing seasons. When averaged over the entire country of Canada, these benefits could help offset some or all of the harmful effects caused by climate change provided the rate and magnitude of climate change are modest. However, if climate change is rapid or large, the risks of danger increase significantly, and the overall effect on countries like Canada would be increasingly negative. That is because it is more difficult to adapt to large or rapid change. Moreover, major negative impacts are projected for many of the developing countries of the world, even for modest changes in climate. These off shore impacts can also have indirect yet significant negative consequences for Canadians. (MSC – FAQ)

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Q.13 Is it too late to stop climate change?

Scientists agree that the current warming trend cannot be stopped or reversed, but that it can be slowed down to allow biological systems and human society more time to adapt.

There are two reasons why further climate change is already unavoidable. First, there is a lot of inertia in the climate system (mainly because of the slow response of oceans), and hence the temperatures have only partially responded to the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere. Hence, even if all emissions stopped today, further residual warming would take place for a number of decades before the climate reaches a new equilibrium conditions. Secondly, while global emissions of greenhouse gases can be slowed down, it will take time for transition from a fossil fuel based global economy to alternatives. Thus further emissions and hence incremental warming are also unavoidable. However, mitigative actions can slow down and eventually stop this increase.  (MSC – FAQ)

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Q.14 What is the Kyoto Protocol?

In 1997, 180 nations met in Kyoto, Japan to discuss Climate Change. The Kyoto Protocol is the framework that was established to help address this global issue. As part of this framework, 38 industrialized countries agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2008 to 2012. (Falls Brook Centre)

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Q.15 What is meant by “green energy”?

Green Energy, or Renewable Energy, is energy that is produced from renewable energy sources such as the sun (solar energy), wind, water (hydro power) and organic matter (biomass energy). These resources are constantly replenished by nature and are a cleaner source of energy.

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Q.16 What can individuals do to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions?

There are many actions that individuals can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Please visit the “Take Action” to find out how.

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Sources:

Climate Change Central
http://www.climatechangecentral.com/

Environment Canada - Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC – FAQ)
http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/saib/climate/FAQ_2002/index_e.html

Other FAQ Websites:

Environment Canada - Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/saib/climate/FAQ_2002/index_e.html

Government of Canada – One-Tonne Challenge - Frequently Asked Questions http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/onetonne/english/faq.asp

Environment Canada - Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
http://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/ghg/faq_e.cfm

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