Climate change is the long-term change in temperatures and weather patterns.

Climate change can occur through natural circumstances. The earth’s climate changes naturally, in line with natural changes such as the sun’s energy, or volcanic eruptions. However, human activities are responsible for unprecedented and catastrophic changes in our climate over the past century.

The burning of fossil fuels generates greenhouse gases, which is a primary contributor to climate change and global warming. Greenhouses gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. While these gases are naturally occurring  in our atmosphere, the levels are at their highest levels in 2 million years, causing the earth’s surface temperature to dramatically rise. The consequences of climate change are vast, including droughts, fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting ice, and severe storms – all these changes subsequently impact biodiversity.

A UN report released in 2018 advised that we must limit the rise of global temperature to 1.5°C to maintain a livable climate and avoid dire impacts. However, based on current climate plans across the globe, predictions forecast the temperature rising by over 2.5°C by 2100.