Welcome to Klimate Xchange. A site for anyone looking to learn about climate change and how to make a difference.

But first, let’s understand what climate is and what it isn’t.

We hear so much about climate change, but what is it really about?

Climate change is about the Earth getting warmer. Everyone, it seems, can agree on that, but it’s not the end of the story (or this blog). A warmer planet can and will lead to greater problems – ice is melting, which impacts wildlife and creates rising sea levels, affecting people, nature, and coral reefs. Warmer temperatures (depending on how warm) can lead to more extreme weather – droughts, floods, heatwaves, and hurricanes. Nothing good comes from warmer weather for the Earth as a whole.

Lots of us would say, “so what?” the Earth gets warmer and colder over time – it will work its way out. It’s true that the Earth has experienced warmer and colder cycles in its 4.5 billion year history because of natural changes. Natural changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun brought it closer (warmer) or further (colder). Volcanic eruptions have both cooled and warmed the Earth. Eruptions have generated particles that reflect sunlight, brightening the planet and cooling the climate. In the deep past, volcanic activity has also increased greenhouse gases over millions of years, contributing to episodes of global warming.

But something has changed.

Starting in the 1950s, scientists began to study and identify changes in temperature that weren’t natural. These changes were not explained by changes in the Earth’s orbit or volcanos. These changes in the weather were tied to more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

What does that mean?

Join me in the next chapter of the Klimate Xchange blog.