What Is Climate Change?
Earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere. It works like a giant blanket, keeping our planet warm enough for people, plants, and animals to live.
But over the last 150 years, humans have added too many gases—especially carbon dioxide—into this blanket. These gases mostly come from things like:
- Cars, lorries, and planes
- Power stations and factories
- Cutting down forests
- Burning coal, oil, and gas for energy
These extra gases make Earth’s blanket too thick, trapping too much heat. This warming is what we call climate change.
How Does Climate Change Affect the World?
Climate change doesn’t just mean warmer days. It can cause:
- Stronger storms and more flooding
- Hotter heatwaves
- Melting ice in the Arctic and Antarctica
- Rising sea levels
- Animals struggling to survive in changing habitats
Who Can Help Fix Climate Change?
Everyone can help, but the biggest changes need to be made by governments and world leaders. They can:
- Make rules to reduce pollution
- Support clean energy like wind and solar
- Protect forests and oceans
- Encourage companies to use greener methods
Every year, leaders from many countries meet at a big conference called COP (Conference of the Parties). At COP, they discuss climate change and make important decisions about how to protect the planet. These meetings help countries work together, because climate change is too big for any one person or country to solve alone.
What Can Children Do?
Small actions still matter! You can:
- Learn about climate change
- Talk to adults about saving energy
- Help care for nature
- Encourage your community to make good choices
Even though children and families can’t fix everything, speaking up and understanding the problem helps keep pressure on leaders to make the big changes our planet needs.
