Defining Climate Change

Climate change can be defined as “any systematic change in the long-term statistics of climate elements (such as temperature, pressure, or winds) sustained over several decades or longer” (Glickman 2000, Glossary of Meteorology, 2nd edition). This change may be caused by any combination of:

• natural influences, such as changes in the energy being emitted from the sun
• changes in the orbit of the earth around sun
• volcanic activity
• fluctuations in ocean and atmospheric circulation
• human activity (such as fossil fuels burning)

Source (http://www.hurricanescience.org/science/science/climate/)