Climate Change — Revision notes

Climate change

A large-scale and long-term shift in Earth's climate, including weather patterns and average temperatures

Global warming

When Earth's temperatures rise

Global cooling

When Earth's temperatures drop

Glacials

Periods of freezing cold where ice covered huge parts of the planet

Interglacials

Periods of warmth where the ice melted away

Volcanic eruptions

A natural cause of climate change where volcanoes release ash that blocks sunlight and carbon dioxide that traps heat

Sunspots

Dark spots on the sun's surface where it is slightly cooler, affecting how much energy the sun gives off

Milankovitch cycles

Slow, regular changes in Earth's orbit (from nearly circular to more oval and back) and in its tilt and wobble, which cause long-term temperature swings

Fossil fuels

Fuels like coal, oil, and gas that release trapped carbon dioxide when burned

Deforestation

Chopping down billions of trees to clear land for farming, reducing nature's carbon dioxide absorbers

Greenhouse gases

Gases like carbon dioxide, water vapour, and methane that form a layer around Earth and trap heat

Enhanced greenhouse effect

When human activities release extra greenhouse gases, making the blanket around Earth thicker and trapping more heat

Ice cores

Cylinders of ice extracted from sheets in Greenland and Antarctica containing air bubbles that show ancient atmospheres

Tree rings

Rings inside a tree trunk where wide rings show warm, wet years and narrow rings show cold, dry years

Mitigation

Taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as switching to renewable energy

Adaptation

Learning to live with the effects of climate change, such as building flood defences

Historical documents

Old paintings, photographs, and diary entries that give clues about past climates

Temperature measurements

Direct records from thermometers, ocean buoys and satellites since 1880, tracked by organisations like the UK Met Office and NASA

What this lesson covers

How well do you know each one? Be honest: red means go back over it.

• Describe the natural causes of climate change, including Milankovitch cycles and volcanic activityNot yetSort ofGot it
• Describe the human causes of climate change and explain the enhanced greenhouse effectNot yetSort ofGot it
• Explain how the greenhouse effect worksNot yetSort ofGot it
• Describe the four types of evidence scientists use for climate changeNot yetSort ofGot it
• Explain the difference between mitigation and adaptation, and give examples of eachNot yetSort ofGot it
• Describe how climate change affects people and places, and what climate justice meansNot yetSort ofGot it

Test yourself

Cover the answer, say it out loud, then check the full quiz on the lesson page.

• Which of these is NOT a natural cause of climate change?
• What would Earth's average temperature be WITHOUT greenhouse gases?
• Which evidence for climate change goes back 800,000 years?

Topic quiz

13 questions on this topic only — not mixed with anything else, one at a time.

Spelling challenge

Read the definition, then type the correct spelling of the term. Uses the same terms as above.