Page 8 - A Hot Mess: How the Climate Crisis Is Changing Our World

Over time, however, it became clear that the temperature wasn’t
the only aspect of the climate that’s changing—the planet getting
warmer has had far-reaching consequences, including extreme
weather events, droughts, and melting sea ice. Winters can get
colder in certain places, and other areas might get more rainfall or
snowfall than they used to get, so the warming world doesn’t always
feel like it’s getting warmer everywhere. The term climate change
captures these consequences in addition to the global temperature
increases. That’s part of the reason it has become the more popular
term. Neither is wrong, but global warming is just one part of
climate change. And as the impacts of that climate change become
increasingly severe, the term climate crisis has become a popular way
to describe the threat the world faces.
How Climate Change Works:
A Quick Science Lesson

Earth’s temperature has a lot to do with its atmosphere (the layer
of gases that surrounds the planet) and the components that form
it. The change in those components—particularly in the amounts
of carbon and methane in the atmosphere—is what’s changing
our climate.
Of course, radiation from the sun is the main source of light
and heat for the planet. Because of how Earth tilts on its axis, areas
around the equator—halfway between the north and south poles—
are closest to the sun, get the most direct sunlight, and are the
warmest parts of the planet. As you move farther north or south,
the temperature usually gets colder because the Arctic Circle and
Antarctica receive the least direct sunlight and, because of that, are
the chilliest places on Earth.
Earth absorbs about 70 percent of the heat it gets from the sun,
and it reflects the other 30 percent back into space. That’s a natural,
normal process—it helps keep the planet at a habitable temperature,

18 a hot mess