Article Source: https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/what-is-climate-change-what-can-we-do/ 

Climate science can be complex, and misinformation in politics and the media can make it difficult to sort fact from fiction. Here, we’ve answered eight common climate change questions, including what’s causing climate change, what scientists are saying and what we can do about it. Read on to get up to speed!

1. What is climate change?
2. What is causing climate change?
3. How is climate change affecting Australia?
4. Why do only a few degrees of warming matter?
5. How do scientists know the climate is changing?
6. What are the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia?
7. What can Australia do to combat climate change?
8. How does Australia measure up on the world stage?
9. Where can I find out more?

1. What is Climate Change?

Climate is different from weather. When we talk about the Earth’s climate, we are referring to the average weather conditions over a period of 30 years or longer. Weather, on the other hand, refers to what you see and feel outside from day to day (e.g. sunny, rainy).

So climate change is any change in the climate, lasting for several decades or longer, including changes in temperature, rainfall or wind patterns.

The best scientific evidence we have shows that our world is rapidly heating.

Long-term air and ocean temperature records clearly show the Earth `is warming. The global average temperature has already risen by 1.1°C since the time before the Industrial Revolution. This might not sound like a lot, but 1.1°C represents a massive amount of extra heat and energy – the equivalent of four Hiroshima bomb detonations per second.

While the earth’s climate has changed throughout history,  scientists agree that the significant changes we’ve seen over the past hundred years or so have been due to human activities. Recent warming is also happening at a rate that is much faster than previous climatic changes.

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