Explaining climate change
In governments, policies, schools – even everyday life – there can be a lot of talk about climate change. But what exactly is climate change, and can we overcome it?
Many renowned organisations agree on a similar definition of climate change, including the Australian Government, the United Nations and NASA. They define climate change as a long-term, negative, shift in the average weather patterns of Earth on local, regional and global scales. Here it is important to distinguish global warming from climate change, as the two are often used interchangeably but are very different. Global warming refers specifically to the increase in average surface temperatures on Earth, whereas climate change is the overall umbrella term for the broader changes in weather.
Humans are known to be the main drivers of current and ongoing climate change. This is through the excessive use of fossil fuels, increased greenhouse gas emissions and exploitation and misuse of land (e.g., through deforestation).
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A carbon-based form of energy production using the ancient remains of plants and animals buried under rock layers (i.e., fossils). Examples of fossil fuels include coal, oil and natural gas.
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Gases in the atmosphere that create the ‘greenhouse effect’, i.e., they trap heat and help keep our planet warm. This effect is what makes Earth a good temperature for us, but too much of these gases disrupts Earth’s temperature balance and causes global warming. Examples of greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour.
Consequences of climate change
Because climate change is such a long-term and (relatively) slow process, it can be hard to see and understand its effects. For example, fears around the Earth’s average temperature increasing by 1 degree Celsius can seem very insignificant. In reality, climate change has significant direct and indirect impacts on planetary health.
Some direct effects include:
Extreme temperatures and weather events (both hot and cold)
Inconsistent and unpredictable weather patterns
Melting glaciers and increased sea levels (which will lead to flooding)
Impaired human health
Some indirect effects include:
Loss of suitable wildlife habitat
Threats to reproduction and biodiversity
Potential changes in climate-related migration patterns
Impacted agricultural practices
Threatened food and water resources
Although we may not see the threats of climate change, it is our future generations who will feel its effects.
Climate science vs climate policy
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence suggesting climate change is a real issue, the concept is highly polarised and debated. This makes it a hot topic in politics, where unfortunately climate science and climate policy seem to be two different things.
When it comes to climate change, research suggests politicians are motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic motivations relate to personal life factors, whereas extrinsic motivations include voter influence, reputation and events. These motivations mean climate policy is not always backed by scientific research. For example, in Australia’s 2025 Federal Election, the Liberal Party proposed building seven nuclear power plants across the country to reduce energy costs whilst still trying to maintain net zero carbon emissions. However, both the Climate Change Authority and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation released reports identifying that using nuclear energy would harm Australia’s ability to reach climate goals.
Is climate change solvable?
Unfortunately for decision-makers, there are no discrete, clear-cut solutions to reversing climate change because it is such a large-scale and complex problem that manifests in different ways across the planet. Therefore, we need to work together in interdisciplinary teams to think of real and dynamic ways to combat climate change, with a particular emphasis on including knowledge of Indigenous communities. In saying this, there are two things we know we must do to help slow down climate change, which can be the focus of policy initiatives.
Transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable, sustainable energy sources (like solar, wind and water energy)
Incentivise and enforce reforestation as trees will help to absorb harmful atmospheric gases
In summary, climate change is a very real problem. Though we may not be aware of any significant issues caused by climate change just yet, it is our responsibility to act before things get irreversibly worse.
Knowledge is power,
The Science Advocate
References:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-021-03237-3
https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/what-is-climate-change/
https://unfccc.int/resource/ccsites/zimbab/conven/text/art01.htm
https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wcc.908
https://www.climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/basics-climate-change
https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2024/december/nuclear-explainer
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/150-1-Spies.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352154621001017
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/climate-change
