What is the difference between the greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change?
These terms are often used to describe the same problem, but actually relate to cause and effect, or problem and consequence. The greenhouse effect is the cause – and global warming and climate change are the consequences. The greenhouse effect causes an accumulation of heat (or energy) in the Earth’s atmosphere. The global climate must then adjust to deal with that extra accumulation of energy, and these adjustments result in global warming and climate changes. Global warming results from an increase in the temperature of the Earth’s lower atmosphere. Climate changes result from alterations to regional climatic events such as rainfall patterns, evaporation and cloud formation.
These terms are often used to describe the same problem, but actually relate to cause and effect, or problem and consequence. The greenhouse effect is the cause and global warming and climate change are the consequences. The greenhouse effect causes an accumulation of heat (or energy) in the Earth’s atmosphere. The global climate must then adjust to deal with that extra accumulation of energy, and these adjustments result in global warming and climate changes. Global warming results from an increase in the temperature of the Earth’s lower atmosphere. Climate changes result from alterations to regional climatic events such as rainfall patterns, evaporation and cloud formation.