BBC What’s New / Actu Jeunes · Transcript · · Updated
What is Global Warming? - BBC What's New – Transcript
Video by BBC What’s New / Actu Jeunes · Watch the original on YouTube
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- The Earth is getting hotter, faster, and the average surface temperature has risen by nearly one degree Celsius since records began over 130 years ago.
- Climate experts warn that an additional half a degree increase in the Earth's average temperature could cause serious effects.
- Human activities like driving cars, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation are major contributors to the increase in greenhouse gases causing global warming.
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Our planet has existed for 4.5 billion years and has experienced changes from tropical to ice ages many times. But scientists are worried that these natural changes to our climate are being overtaken by global warming.
So what is global warming? Well, the Earth is getting hotter, faster. As records began more than 130 years ago, the average surface temperature has risen by nearly one degree Celsius. The highest increase has been in the last four decades, with above-average temperatures every year since 1975.
And climate experts are now warning that if the Earth's average temperature goes up by just another half a degree, it could have serious effects on our planet. Why is this happening? An increase in something called the greenhouse effect is thought to be the major cause of global warming.
The greenhouse effect is where certain gases such as water vapor, methane and carbon dioxide stop heat escaping from the atmosphere, keeping the Earth's surface warm. The amount of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is on the rise, causing the planet to get even hotter. A lot of this is down to human activities like driving cars, burning fossil fuels such as coal and gas and deforestation.