Why is climate important? - NCAS (2024)

Why is climate important? - NCAS (1)

Scenes of flooding and storms show us just how much weather and climate can affect our lives.

Climate affects nearly every aspect of our lives, from our food sources to our transport infrastructure, from what clothes we wear, to where we go on holiday. It has a huge effect on our livelihoods, our health, and our future.

Climate is the long-term pattern of weather conditions in any particular place.

We know that our climate is changing due to humans, and these changes are already having a big impact on our lives.

It’s important that we understand how the climate is changing, so that we can prepare for the future.

Studying the climate helps us predict how much rain the next winter might bring, or how far sea levels will rise due to warmer sea temperatures.

We can also see which regions are most likely to be affected by extreme weather, or which wildlife species are threatened by climate change.

What is the climate?

Climate is the long-term pattern of weather experienced in a place.

Weather, on the other hand, describes day-to-day changes in our atmosphere.

You can check the weather by simply looking out the window. But you need a longer term set of observations to understand the climate.

We describe the climate by looking at temperature, rainfall, snow and wind data. This is usually averaged over seasons, years, decades, centuries or more.

If you looked at the average rainfall records for Manchester over the last thirty years, it would help to describe the climate for the area.

Why is climate important? - NCAS (2)

Climate is influenced by things like location, whether there are mountains nearby, whether there is water nearby, and how high up it is.

For example, one of the reasons Carlisle has a colder, wetter climate than London because it is further away from the equator. Another reason is that it is closer to mountains, and mountains often encourage rainfall.

Climate is also affected by our atmosphere, a layer of gases that surrounds the earth.

These gases act like a blanket wrapped around the earth, trapping the sun’s heat within our atmosphere.

Some gases trap more heat than others. The gases that trap the most heat are called greenhouse gases because they allow heat to reach the earth, but do not let it escape – similar to how a greenhouse works.

The most common greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane and ozone, water vapour, nitrous oxides and fluorinated gases.

The more greenhouse gases there are, the warmer the earth’s climate becomes.

This means that human activities which release greenhouse gases, like burning fossil fuels, lead to climate change.

Why is climate important? - NCAS (2024)

FAQs

Why is the climate important? ›

Climate affects nearly every aspect of our lives, from our food sources to our transport infrastructure, from what clothes we wear, to where we go on holiday. It has a huge effect on our livelihoods, our health, and our future. Climate is the long-term pattern of weather conditions in any particular place.

Why is climate change important to national security? ›

Climate change is affecting global stability, military readiness, humanitarian crises, and the risk of war. Communities around the world are experiencing negative impacts due to extreme weather events, food and water shortages, and sea-level rise.

Why are climate factors important? ›

Climatic factors act directly on the growth, survival, reproduction, and movement of individuals and some of these processes can be studied experimentally, as well as by sampling in the ocean. The integrated effects of the individual processes, are observed at the level of populations, communities, or ecosystems.

What is climate change and why is it important to understand? ›

Climate change primarily refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Although some shifts in climate are natural, human activities—such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation—are significant drivers of climate change.

What is most important in climate change? ›

Causes of Climate Change. Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels causes a large chunk of global emissions. Most electricity is still generated by burning coal, oil, or gas, which produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide – powerful greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun's heat.

Why is climate change important to society? ›

The impacts of climate change will disrupt the natural, economic and social systems we depend on. This disruption will impact global food security, damage infrastructure and jobs, and harm human health. These impacts are unevenly distributed around the world, with some countries facing far greater risks than others.

Is climate change a real threat? ›

The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss the brief, rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.

Is climate change the greatest security threat? ›

Energy supply, climate, peace and security

Putting energy supply on a broader basis and pushing ahead with the expansion of renewables makes a contribution to climate protection and to security of supply. The climate emergency is not an isolated crisis. It is the most challenging security issue of our time.

Why is climate important kids? ›

Rising global temperatures affect many things, like extreme weather, human health, food supply, and ecosystems. These impacts are already being felt today, and groups like the poor, elderly, and others are especially vulnerable. Impacts of climate change include: Heat waves.

What are the three most important climate factors? ›

The most important natural factors are: distance from the sea. ocean currents. direction of prevailing winds.

Why does climate change not matter? ›

While many believe that human activities are driving the earth's warming, others point to natural and recurring cycles driven by the sun. If the earth's climate passes a tipping point and spirals out of control, and the human population is no longer supported, it really does not matter why.

Why is climate change an important issue essay? ›

The ocean level is rising, glaciers are melting, CO2 in the air is increasing, forest and wildlife are declining, and water life is also getting disturbed due to climatic changes. Apart from that, it is calculated that if this change keeps on going then many species of plants and animals will get extinct.

What causes an ice age? ›

In general, it is felt that ice ages are caused by a chain reaction of positive feedbacks triggered by periodic changes in the Earth's orbit around the Sun. These feedbacks, involving the spread of ice and the release of greenhouse gases, work in reverse to warm the Earth up again when the orbital cycle shifts back.

What is climate change in 150 words? ›

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns, primarily caused by human activities like burning fossil fuels. It's a problem because it leads to extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and loss of biodiversity, which can harm our environment, economy, and health.

What are the benefits of climate change in the world? ›

Scope of more plant growth and milder climates in some frozen regions of the earth such as Siberia, Antarctic, and the Arctic. Fewer injuries or decreased death rate as a result of arctic conditions. The next ice age can be possibly prevented.

Why is climate change important for kids? ›

The Earth's average temperature has increased about 1.5°F in the past hundred years. It doesn't sound like much, but scientists think that the temperature increase has caused melting glaciers, drought, and coral reef die-off. (Coral can't survive in water that's too warm.) They expect the climate will warm another .

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