What Is Climate Change?

Before talking about climate change, it is important to know the difference

between weather and climate.

Weather reflects the short-term conditions of the atmosphere.

Climate describes the typical conditions of the

atmosphere for an extended period of time at a
particular location.

The atmosphere is the outermost layer of gas that

surrounds Earth and affects the world’s climate.
The atmosphere keeps us warm, gives us oxygen
to breathe and is where our weather takes place.
What Is Climate Change?
Climate change is a term used by experts when
describing the way that both weather and climate
systems are changing as a result of mankind’s
industrial activity across the world.

Then Now
 What Is Being Affected By
Climate Change?
There are a lot of different environmental changes that are happening as a result of
climate change. Some are big and some are small.
These include: Plant species
5
shifting locations
1

Species becoming
4 endangered
Shrinking 3
glaciers

Trees and plants

Rising sea flowering much
2
levels earlier in the year
Why Is the World’s Climate Changing?
Experts believe that humans are the main reason why the world’s climate and
weather are changing.
A key contributing factor is the creation of greenhouse gases
caused by human activities.

These include:

1 2 3

Burning Beef cattle Agricultural

fossil fuels farming fertilisers
How Do Greenhouse Gases Change the
Climate?
Greenhouse gases that get released into
the atmosphere prevent heat from
escaping the Earth.

The result of this is that whilst the Sun’s

rays can enter the atmosphere to provide
our planet with heat and warmth, not as
much can escape.

Therefore, the planet keeps getting hotter

and hotter.

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18 th Century, the planet’s average

temperature has increased by around one degree.
 Where Do These Greenhouse Gases
Water Vapour (H 0)
Come From?
2
The most abundant greenhouse gas, created through the heating of water.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Created through the burning of substances containing carbon, such as fossil fuels.

Methane (CH4)
Produced by cattle, chickens and pigs. As the global population increases, the
more of these creatures are farmed and the more gas they produce.

Nitrous Oxide (N20)

Used in rocket fuel, racing cars, hospitals and dentist surgeries. Also found in
agricultural fertilisers.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC)
Found in air conditioning and refrigerators.
How Do Greenhouse Gases Change the
Climate?
It is very important to reduce the In many countries, including New
production of the gases that are Zealand, plans and laws are already
creating the greenhouse effect. This is in place. New Zealand's emission
reliant on governments across the reduction targets are to reduce
world creating laws and strategies to greenhouse gas emissions to 30%
meet certain targets in pollution below 2005 levels by 2030.
reduction.
How Do Greenhouse Gases Change the
Climate?
Some countries, have committed to reducing emissions and finding alternative
energy sources, including:

building wind farms, supporting the committing to phasing

solar farms and other manufacture and out the manufacture of
means of creating purchase of electric petrol and diesel powered
electricity from vehicles; transport.
renewable energy;
 What Is Being Done to Combat
Climate Change?
Demonstrations and rallies have always been an important way of people making
In early 2019,
their voices heard and their opinions known.
young people
Many people believed that
became involved
the children should have
in
faced consequences for
demonstrations
missing time from school,
across the world.
but some believed that their
protests were important, as
it is the younger generation
Thousands of who will feel the impact of
school-aged climate change more
children refused to severely.
attend school so
that they could
attend organised
demonstrations in
major cities.
 What Can We Start Doing Now?
Plant Trees
Reduce Electricity Use
Forests help to offset
We can reduce our daily
our carbon emissions.
emissions by switching
We can help by
off lights and unplugging Reduce, Reuse and planting native trees
electronics when they are Recycle on our properties or
not being used, washing We can reduce the amount getting involved with
our clothes in cold water of household rubbish planting projects in our
and having shorter going to landfills by regions.
showers. reducing, reusing and
recycling. When new
items are manufactured,
Shop Locally greenhouse gas emissions
We can reduce rise.
What else could
greenhouse gas
emissions from transport we do to help
by buying locally reduce
produced food or greenhouse gas
products that haven’t
travelled long distances emissions?
to reach us.
 What Are the Consequences of Not
Doing Enough?
Without global warming slowing down, experts have predicted there are some very
serious consequences for our planet.
These include: Up to 90% of the ocean’s 5
2 coral reefs will become
1 lifeless.

Low-lying settlements and

4 ecosystems could be lost
3 due to rising sea levels.
Up to 30% of the
Earth’s wildlife
could become
extinct. Droughts and storms
Agriculture dependant become more frequent
on rain will see harvests and extreme.
halved.
 What Are Some Climate Change Impacts
That We Will See in New Zealand?
Rising sea levels and erosion along
our coastlines will impact all coastal
species. Two-thirds of New
Zealanders live within 5 km of the
We will see storm surges on coast, so sea-level rise will directly
our coastlines, more extreme affect many of us.
weather and more fires.

In alpine zones, warmer temperatures

will allow predators like rats and mice
Hotter temperatures will
to survive higher up the mountains,
bring health issues for some
vulnerable New Zealanders, where they will prey on species that
especially the elderly and they previously could not get to.
babies.
If droughts increase and
become more severe, more
pressure is placed on native
forests and animals.
Our forest floors will harden as
temperatures rise. Species such
as kiwi may struggle to probe
Industries that provide dairy for food.
goods, meat and fruit are
impacted by temperature and
negatively affected by a
changing climate and extreme
weather.
What Do You Think?

What can you

start doing today
to help combat
climate change?

Is enough being
done in this
country to
combat climate
What would change?
you like to
Is enough being
see happen?
done worldwide
to combat
climate change?