Climate change: 11 facts you need to know We’re already seeing the effects of human-caused climate change — but nature can help. See more. To learn about climate change, you first must know what climate is. UN CC: Learn Resource Guide for Advanced Learning on the Scientific Fundamentals of Climate Change 4 1.4 Introduction to the Scientific Fundamentals of Climate Change The climate system is a complex, interactive system consisting of the atmosphere, land surface, snow and ice, oceans and other bodies of water, and living elements. Mike Lockwood, “Solar Change and Climate: an update in the light of the current exceptional solar minimum,” Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 2 December 2009, doi 10.1098/rspa.2009.0519; Judith Lean, “Cycles and trends in solar irradiance and climate,” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, vol. Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. The Working Group I contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (WGI AR5) provides a comprehensive assessment of the physical science basis of climate change, drawing on the scientific literature accepted for publication up to 15 March 2013. Learn how climate has changed since the last ice … Climate change definition, a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature: Melting glaciers imply that life in the Arctic is affected by climate change. The Report provided the basis for the signature of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was signed in 1992 at the “Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro. Climate Change is the defining issue of our time and we are at a defining moment. Causes and Consequences of Climate Change Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests and farming livestock . Climate change, the periodic modification of Earth’s climate caused by changes in the atmosphere and interactions between the atmosphere and various other geologic, chemical, biological, and geographic factors. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming. We’re already seeing the effects of climate change, but thankfully, we’re equipped with the most effective tool to mitigate and adapt to it: nature.