04 Climate Change Free Online FlashCards

How do climate and weather differ?

Climate describes long-term patterns of atmospheric conditions; weather is the day-to-day state of the atmosphere.

What primarily causes the rapid warming observed since the mid-20th century?

Human activities, especially burning fossil fuels, deforestation, agriculture, and industrial processes, add heat-trapping greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

How do greenhouse gases warm Earth?

Greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit some of the heat released by Earth’s surface, strengthening the natural greenhouse effect.

How much warmer was the world in 2011–2020 than in 1850–1900?

Global surface temperature in 2011–2020 was about $1.1^\circ\mathrm{C}$ above the 1850–1900 average.

How does warming differ between land and ocean?

Warming is not uniform: land generally warms faster than the ocean, and changes vary by region and season.

How does climate warming contribute to sea-level rise?

A warmer climate contributes to sea-level rise as oceans warm and land ice melts.

What three factors interact to create climate risk?

Climate risk arises from the interaction of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability.

What does exposure mean in climate risk?

Exposure is the presence of people, infrastructure, or ecosystems in places that could be harmed by a climate hazard.

What makes a person or community vulnerable to climate impacts?

Vulnerability is susceptibility to harm combined with limited ability to prepare, cope, and recover.

How can drought and heat compound climate impacts?

Drought and heat can jointly reduce crop yields while increasing demand for water and energy.

How did disaster mortality differ between highly and very low-vulnerability regions?

During 2010–2020, highly vulnerable regions experienced much higher mortality from floods, droughts, and storms than regions with very low vulnerability.

What is climate mitigation?

Mitigation limits climate change by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions or increasing carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere.