Which term describes large-scale changes in weather patterns caused in part by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions?

Which term describes large-scale changes in weather patterns caused in part by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions?

• A. Global warming
• B. Weather patterns
• C. Environmental shifts
• D. Climate change

Answer: (D)

Long-term, large-scale shifts in the climate driven by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions describe climate change. This term captures how the entire climate system—average temperatures, rainfall patterns, the frequency and intensity of storms, and sea levels—changes over decades and longer due to the buildup of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels and other human activities. Global warming refers specifically to the rise in Earth's average surface temperature, which is a major aspect of climate change but doesn’t by itself describe the broader changes in weather patterns and extremes. Weather patterns describe short-term, day-to-day variability, not the sustained, planet-wide shifts. Environmental shifts isn’t the standard term used for this phenomenon. So climate change is the best fit because it encompasses the wide-ranging, long-lasting impacts on the climate system caused by human emissions.

Long-term, large-scale shifts in the climate driven by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions describe climate change. This term captures how the entire climate system—average temperatures, rainfall patterns, the frequency and intensity of storms, and sea levels—changes over decades and longer due to the buildup of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels and other human activities. Global warming refers specifically to the rise in Earth's average surface temperature, which is a major aspect of climate change but doesn’t by itself describe the broader changes in weather patterns and extremes. Weather patterns describe short-term, day-to-day variability, not the sustained, planet-wide shifts. Environmental shifts isn’t the standard term used for this phenomenon. So climate change is the best fit because it encompasses the wide-ranging, long-lasting impacts on the climate system caused by human emissions.