There is a lot of buzz around climate change—let’s look at the facts to better understand one of the greatest challenges of our time.

Fact 1: The term global warming refers to the long-term warming of the planet. The term climate change encompasses global warming, but refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet.
Source: NASA

Fact 2: These broader climate changes include: rising sea levels, shrinking mountain glaciers, accelerating ice melt in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic, and shifts in flower and plant blooming times.
Source: U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)

Fact 3: Human activity, especially greenhouse gas emissions, is considered the dominant cause of temperature increases.
Source: BBC News

Fact 4: The greenhouse effect refers to the way the Earth’s atmosphere traps and absorbs solar energy.
Source: BBC News

Fact 5: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was formed in 1988 to collect and assess evidence on climate change. Since then, it has produced a series of alarming climate models. Under these models, most of the planet’s ice cover would melt by the end of the century and trigger a cascade of irreversible consequences, including flooding strong enough to engulf entire cities.
Source: BBC News

Fact 6: Paleoclimatology—or the study of changes in climate throughout Earth’s history—uses evidence found in tree rings, ocean sediment, coral reefs, and layers of sedimentary rocks to determine that current warming is occurring roughly 10 times faster than the post-ice age warming.
Source: NASA

Fact 7: By 2060, the cost of inaction on climate change is predicted to reach a staggering $44 trillion, with the highest anticipated GDP losses in the Middle-East, Northern, and Sub-Saharan Africa, and South and Southeast Asia.
Sources: CitiGPS + The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Fact 8: In 2018, there were 14 extreme-weather events that resulted in more than $1 billion in damages.
Source: UN News

Fact 9: The average number of people exposed to heatwaves has increased by approximately 125 million since the beginning of the century.
Source: UN News

Fact 10: Community-led nonprofits working to fight climate change are underfunded.
Source: Learn Library

Read the full article about 10 climate change facts by Belén Loza at Global Giving.