Searchlight BOOKS Climate Change Climate Change and Energy Technology Rebecca E Hirsch Lerner Publications Minneapolis
4 Chapter 1 WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE Look outside What is the weather like today Weather changes from day to day Some days are warm and some are cold Climate is the usual weather for a place For example some places are warm in summer but cold in winter Earth's climate is the climate of the whole planet It's what you get when you add up all the different climates around the world Rain is a type of weather Some places have a rainy climate while others have rain only occasionally
5 This illustration shows the ice age a time period in the past when Earth was much colder than it is in modern times Just as weather can change so can climate Weather can change quickly but it takes a long time for climate to change Climate change takes hundreds or thousands of years Through Earth's history the climate has changed many times At times in the past Earth was warmer At other times it was colder These warm and cold periods lasted for thousands or even millions of years
