People talk about climate change and global warming all the time, but a surprising amount of people still don't quite know what those terms really mean. Here's a quick, simple, jargon-free explanation of both of them for you:

Climate Change
Climate change is the term for the way the Earth's climate is slowly changing and getting warmer. When we talk about climate change and its effects, we mean that its about to get a lot warmer around here. This may seem like a good thing to us (especially during winter!) but there are the consequences to think about. If it gets warmer on this planet, then the ice caps in the Arctic will start to melt, and all of this sudden extra water in our oceans means that the sea level will rise. So what is the result of this? People may have to move away from coastlines to prevent being flooded, it might ruin crops, and hundreds of animals who thrive in the cold conditions will suddenly have nowhere to go. I bet you see why we want to stop climate change from happening now, don't you?

Global Warming
Global warming is the term for the Earth becoming too hot, a bit like climate change. As the rays from the sun travel to Earth, they sort of reflect off the huge cloud of gas surrounding our world like a protective bubble. This stops the rays from being trapped inside, heating up the planet. So there isn't any problem, right? Wrong! Now that so much gas from factories, cars and planes is being pumped into the atmosphere, it's getting thicker. This means the rays aren't reflected any more; they're being absorbed into the Earth. This is causing temperatures to rise on Earth, which will in the long run cause climate change. Not a happy thought, is it?

But don't worry! Its not too late to halt this process yet! Just go over to the How You Can Help page for a list of quick, easy ways you can do your bit.

If you still have unanswered questions, then either contact us to ask us or go over to the Links page - there are many websites on global warming and climate change that can help you out.