Earth Day 2024: What's the difference between global warming, climate change? What to know
With the celebration of Earth Day and the need to conserve planetary health, it poses some questions about global warming and climate change.
Though they’re both related, they're not the same, and it’s important to know the difference.
According to climate.gov, global warming refers only to the Earth’s rising surface temperature, while climate change includes warming and the “side effects” of warming.
Let’s think of them as an illness the Earth has. What are the symptoms of global warming and climate change?
What is global warming?
Global warming refers to the rise in global temperatures due mainly to rapidly increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Global warming affects anything from ocean patterns to air temperature and arctic ice.
When scientists mention global warming, it’s not always a natural thing caused by Earth.
Currently, the leading cause of it is human activity because we burn coal, oil, and gas, creating greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and various synthetic chemicals.
Signs of global warming include:
Diminishing arctic sea ice extent
Rising ocean heat
Increasing air temperatures over oceans and land
Global sea level rise
Escalating humidity
Temperature increase in lower atmosphere
Reduced snow cover and earlier melting
Melting glaciers
There's still hope: For Earth Day 2024, experts are spreading optimism – not doom. Here's why.
What is climate change?
Climate change refers to the increasing changes in the measures of climate over a long period of time – including precipitation, temperature, and wind patterns.
Climate change is both natural and human-caused. Besides burning fossil fuels, humans emit aerosol pollution—the tiny particles that reflect sunlight and cool the climate—into the atmosphere. We also impact climate change by transforming the Earth's landscape, such as turning carbon-storing forests into farmland.
Climate change has been around for as long as Earth’s history — the Earth’s average temperature has always fluctuated. This includes the Earth’s longer periods of both cold temperatures, or ice ages, and warm temperatures, or interglacials, on 100,000-year cycles for at least the last million years.
Climate change can affect everything, from humans, ecosystems, wildlife, and agriculture.
Examples of climate change include:
Longer-lasting droughts
Stronger storms
Sea level rise
Flooding
Ecosystem stressors
Reduced soil health leading to food shortages
Displacement, creating refugees
Illness and death
The World Health Organization says that in the near future, between 2030 and 2050, an additional 250,000 deaths per year could happen from malnutrition, insect-borne diseases and heat stress caused by climate change. Millions of people are expected to be displaced in various countries by 2050.
How to help reduce both global warming and climate change
Today is Earth Day, so of course, we think about how we can lessen the symptoms of both global warming and climate change and keep our planet healthy.
According to the United Nations, here's how we can help our planet be healthy.
Save energy at home
Change your home's source of energy
Walk, bike or take public transport
Switch to an electric vehicle
Consider your travel and take fewer flights
Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle
Eat more vegetables
Throw away less food
Plant native species
Clean up your environment
Shop from sustainable and ethical brands and companies
Are those steps climate change cure-alls?
Probably. Maybe not. Who knows?
No matter the answer, it's important to be aware of how us humans contribute to harming the planet, and we can maintain planetary health together.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What's the difference between global warming and climate change?
