Global warming or climate change?

A few years ago, scientists were talking about global warming. The term ‘global warming’ means that the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere is rising, and many believe it is because of human activity. At first, scientists worried that this warming would cause the ice in the north and south poles to melt, and as a result, the sea levels would rise a few metres. Rising waters can increase the chances of flooding and, in some areas, can put an entire country like the Netherlands underwater.

In 1989, a report by the United Nations predicted that by the year 2000, rising waters would put large parts of different continents underwater. However, this did not happen and hasn’t happened yet! As more studies showed, some areas of the Earth are becoming colder, although the average temperature of the atmosphere is rising. That is why scientists use the term ‘climate change’ instead of ‘global warming’. It describes all kinds of changes in the atmosphere. For instance, storms and hurricanes have become stronger in the past 20 years. Some parts of the world are experiencing extremely dry weather, while some other parts experience unusually heavy rains and floods.