TheCable

The complexities of climate change and its associated jargon can make it difficult to digest. TheCable’s quick climate facts will help demystify these concepts through easy-to-understand and straightforward explanations.

Here are some to keep at the tip of your fingers:

• Climate has become a household word but not many are familiar with its meaning.  Also referred to as the “average weather”, climate is defined as the measurement of temperature, precipitation or wind over a period of time. According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the classical period is 30 years.
• The climate system consists of five components, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, land surface and biosphere.
• The climate system is continually changing due to the interactions between the components as well as external factors such as volcanic eruptions, solar variations and human-induced factors.
• The United Nations says increasing greenhouse gas emissions from human activities act like a blanket wrapped around the earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.
• These activities include the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, clearing land and forests, as well as landfills for garbage.