Climate change is the term used to characterize the effects of global warming, or the continuous rise in the average global temperature, on the Earth's climate system. Broadly speaking, long-term changes in Earth's climate in the past are also considered to be part of climate change. The burning of fossil fuels by humans is the main cause of the current, faster-than-historic rise in the average global temperature. The use of fossil fuels, deforestation, and certain industrial and agricultural processes increase the amount of greenhouse gases, primarily methane and carbon dioxide. After the Earth warms from sunlight, some of the heat it emits is absorbed by greenhouse gases. Global warming is the result of more of these gases trapping heat in the lower atmosphere of the Earth. The environment is being impacted by a number of growing effects of climate change. People are at risk from climate change due to increased flooding, intense heat waves, shortages of food and water, increased disease, and financial losses. Conflict and human migration may also follow. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change poses the biggest risk to world health in the twenty-first century. If action is not taken to limit warming, societies and ecosystems will face increasingly serious risks. Although there are already some limits to adaptation, climate change risks can be partially mitigated by actions like flood control measures or drought-resistant crops. Although they contribute very little to global emissions, poorer communities are most vulnerable to climate change and have the least capacity for adaptation. At the current 1.2 °C (2.2 °F), many of the effects of climate change are already being felt.
Reducing energy consumption and producing electricity from low-carbon sources as opposed to burning fossil fuels are necessary to reduce emissions. As part of this shift, coal and natural gas-fired power plants will be phased out and the amount of electricity produced by wind, solar, and nuclear power will be greatly increased. Fossil fuels will need to be replaced by this electricity in order to run industrial facilities, power vehicles, and heat buildings. Additionally, carbon can be extracted from the atmosphere through farming practices that capture carbon in the soil and expanding the amount of forest cover.
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