Understanding Climate Change

To understand the issue of climate change and global warming, one must understand the meaning of the terms. Climate change and global warming are fairly self explanatory. Climate change refers to distinct changes in weather patterns in a location over a significant period of time, global warming refers to the standard rise in temperature around the world. (EPA par. 2-3) To comprehend how humans are impacting global warming, the terms greenhouse effect and carbon footprint must be noted. The EPA explains that the greenhouse effect is

a natural occurrence that helps regulate the temperature of our planet. When the Sun heats the Earth, some of this heat escapes back to space. The rest of the heat, also known as infrared radiation, is trapped in the atmosphere by clouds and greenhouse gases, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide. (par 4)

Human activities that produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide add to the strength of the greenhouse effect: which traps more heat on the Earth. This results in climate change and global warming over time. The group, Time for Change, labels the carbon footprint as “the sum of all emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), which were induced by your activities in a given time frame.” (par. 3) By enacting the proposed policy, the carbon footprint of the average American citizen and American corporation would be greatly reduced.
"Frequent Questions - Science | Climate Change | U.S. EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 04 Apr. 2011.
"What Is a Carbon Footprint - Definition." Time for Change. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.