Climate change

Climate change

The phenomenon of climate's temperature and rainfall slowly changing year by year.

Industry: Natural environment

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Climate change

Global warming

Natural environment; Climate change

Global warming refers to the increase in the earth's surface (or near-surface) temperature in recent decades due to higher levels of greenhouse gases, and the projected worsening of this effect over ...

Greenhouse effect

Natural environment; Climate change

The greenhouse effect keeps the earth's average temperature at around 14°C. Without it, the planet would be too cold to support human life. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere raise the earth's ...

Greenhouse gases (GHGs)

Natural environment; Climate change

Natural and industrial gases that trap heat from the Earth and warm the surface. The Kyoto Protocol restricts emissions of six greenhouse gases: natural (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) ...

Grey water

Natural environment; Climate change

Grey water is waste water from baths, showers, washing machines, dishwashers and so on - in other words, water that has been used in the home but does not contain bodily waste - which can be reused ...

Ground source heat pump

Natural environment; Climate change

Electrically powered systems that tap the stable, residual heat stored immediately below the surface of the earth to provide heating and hot water for homes and offices. Also known as geothermal heat ...

Hardwoods and softwoods

Natural environment; Climate change

Hardwoods come from broad-leaved trees, usually (but not always) deciduous. They are typically (but, again, there are exceptions) denser than softwoods, which come from coniferous trees. Because ...

Hockey stick

Natural environment; Climate change

The name given to a graph published in 1998 plotting the average temperature in the Northern hemisphere over the last 1,000 years. The line remains roughly flat until the last 100 years, when it ...