A Beginner's Guide to Climate Change: Everything You Need to Know

Climate change can seem like a vast and complex subject. You might hear about rising temperatures, melting ice, increased rainfall, and hail that breaks through car roofs. But how does it all fit together? Why is it happening, and what do we actually need to do about it?

This guide provides the basics: what climate change is, what causes it, why it matters, and how we can respond. By the end, you'll have a clear picture of the problem and the practical steps humanity needs to take to fix it.

What's Inside This Guide to Climate Change

• Weather vs Climate: Understanding the Difference

• What Is Climate Change?

• The Science Behind Climate Change

• Why Every Fraction of a Degree Matters

• Beyond Carbon: The Bigger Picture

• Common Myths Debunked

• Solutions That Work

• What You Can Do

• Reasons for Hope

Weather vs Climate: Understanding the Difference

You can think of Earth like a living body. The weather is its daily mood. Some days are sunny and calm, others stormy or unsettled, just like our own moods can shift from cheerful to grumpy. Weather can surprise us, but it usually makes sense when viewed in the broader context. We expect colder days in winter and warmer ones in summer, just as we might expect students to feel more stressed during exam season than during their holidays. Weather changes quickly, but it still follows patterns.

Climate is more like Earth's long-term personality. Instead of looking at today or tomorrow, climate describes the patterns we notice over decades or centuries. Just as people can change gradually over their lifetimes, Earth has naturally gone through colder ice ages and warmer periods. Climate gives us a sense of what to expect overall, like knowing someone is usually optimistic, even if they have the occasional bad day.

Right now, Earth's "body" is running a fever. That fever is climate change. It's not just making the planet warmer; it's also making Earth less predictable. Seasons blur, weather events become more extreme, and natural systems that once kept things in balance no longer work properly. It's similar to when you’re sick: one moment you’re shivering, the next you’re sweating, and your body struggles to maintain a steady temperature.

The core idea is simple: Our planet is heating faster than ever in human history, mostly because of how we create energy and manage land. The good news? If we change the way we produce energy and care for nature, we can help Earth's body recover and stabilise.

What Is Climate Change?

Climate change means long-term shifts in Earth's climate patterns, mainly caused by human activity. The planet has always had natural cycles of warmer and colder periods. In fact, if humans weren't influencing the system, we'd likely be heading into a cooler period right now. Instead, we're experiencing rapid warming far outside natural patterns. And it's happening because of us.

Since the Industrial Revolution (around 1850), we've been releasing enormous amounts of greenhouse gases by:

• Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) that formed from ancient forests over millions of years

• Clearing and burning forests that naturally absorb carbon

• Industrial farming that releases methane from livestock and nitrous oxide from fertilisers

• Damaging soils and peatlands that store carbon

Carbon itself isn't "bad"; it's a building block of life, making up about 18% of the human body and forming part of forests, soils, and countless ecosystems. The problem is when too much carbon moves into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases, where it acts like an extra blanket around Earth, trapping heat.

What Does Science Say?

The science is crystal clear: 97-99% of climate scientists agree that current climate change is real, caused by human activities, and dangerous. This isn't a debate anymore, it's an observable fact. We see it in:

• Rising global temperatures 

• Melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica

• Shifting seasons 

• Ocean acidification from absorbed CO₂

• More extreme weather events worldwide

Why Is Climate Change Happening?

The Greenhouse Effect Explained

Greenhouse gases work like a blanket around Earth. We need some of that blanket to stay warm enough for life. Without any greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen rock at -18°C. But we've added too many extra layers, and now Earth is overheating.

The main greenhouse gases we're adding are:

• Carbon dioxide (CO₂): It’s not the most powerful, but there’s an awful lot of it. It stays in the atmosphere for centuries

• Methane (CH₄): 28 times more powerful than CO₂ over 100 years, but breaks down faster

• Nitrous oxide (N₂O): 265 times more powerful than CO₂

Hidden Climate Culprits

Some major emission sources might surprise you:

• Cement production: Creates 8% of global CO₂ through the chemical reaction that turns limestone into cement

• Steel making: Produces massive emissions from both the intense heat required and the transformation of iron ore 

• Food waste: When food rots in landfills, it releases methane

• Fashion: The clothing industry produces more emissions than all international flights and shipping combined.

Feedback Loops: When Climate Change Accelerates Itself

One of the worrying aspects is that warming can trigger "feedback loops" that speed up the process:

Already happening:

• Arctic ice melts → dark ocean absorbs more heat → more ice melts

• Siberian permafrost thaws → releases ancient methane and CO₂ → more warming

• Amazon rainforest dries → trees die and release carbon → less rain → more drying

Once triggered, these loops make it much harder to stop warming. But the good news is that positive tipping points also exist, so we can harness positive spirals as well as prevent negative ones.

Why Every Fraction of a Degree Matters

You've probably heard we should limit warming to 1.5°C or 2°C above pre-industrial levels. These numbers have been put forward by a coalition of world scientists to help us limit the worst impacts of climate change. So they are worth paying attention to. But these aren't magic numbers; everything doesn’t suddenly become fine or catastrophic when we reach one of them.

Think of it like a fever. 37.5°C is concerning, 38°C is worse, 39°C is dangerous, and 40°C is an emergency.

That's why scientists emphasise: every fraction of a degree matters. The difference between 1.5°C and 2°C is hundreds of millions of lives affected. Giving up isn’t an option, because every effort means lives saved. 

So, where are we at now? As of mid-2025, global temperatures have already gone 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. We're currently at around 1.8.°C But that doesn't mean the game is over. We need to work hard and fast to keep global warming as close to 1.8°C as possible. And if possible, to dip back below towards 1.5°C.

Beyond Carbon: The Bigger Picture

Climate change isn't just about CO₂; it's also about Earth's interconnected life-support systems:

Nature as Climate Regulator

Forests don't just store carbon. They create rainfall by releasing water vapour that forms clouds, influencing weather thousands of miles away. When the Amazon rainforest dies back, it affects rainfall in Argentina's farmlands.

Oceans absorb 25% of our CO₂ emissions and 90% of excess heat. But this makes them more acidic, killing coral reefs and disrupting the entire marine food web. Here's a mind-blowing fact: a single whale can sequester as much carbon as hundreds or even thousands of trees over its lifetime through its role in ocean ecosystems.

Soils are carbon superheroes when healthy. They store more carbon than the atmosphere and all plants combined. But damaged soils release that carbon and can't hold water, making floods and droughts worse.

Wetlands cover just 6% of land but store 35% of land-based carbon. Mangrove swamps protect coasts from storms while storing carbon at a rate 10 times faster than mature forests.

The Climate-Biodiversity Death Spiral

Climate change and ecosystem collapse feed each other:

• Rising temperatures push species toward extinction

• Damaged ecosystems release stored carbon

• Fewer species means less resilient ecosystems

• Weaker ecosystems can't regulate the climate as well

We can reverse this cycle and create a climate-biodiversity life-cycle. We can do this by protecting existing natural habitats, creating more, and reducing emissions. 

Common Myths Debunked

"Climate has always changed naturally"

Yes, but never this fast while humans existed. Current warming is occurring at a rate 10 times faster than the average rate following an ice age. It's like saying "people have always died" to dismiss concerns about a pandemic.

"It's too late to do anything"

False. While some warming is locked in, every action we take now determines whether we face a difficult future or a catastrophic one. The difference between 1.5°C and 3°C warming is measured in millions of lives.

"Individual actions don't matter"

They do, but not in isolation. Individual actions add up and signal demand for systemic change. When millions choose clean energy, companies and governments that really have power to scale things up will follow.

"Climate action will wreck the economy"

The opposite is true. Renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels in most places. The cost of climate action is far less than the cost of climate damage.

Solutions That Work

The solutions already exist, we just need to scale them up:

Energy Revolution

• Solar and wind are now the cheapest electricity sources in history

• Countries leading the way: Costa Rica runs on 99% renewable energy; Scotland generates enough wind power for two Scotlands

Climate Justice: Why Fairness Matters

Not everyone contributed equally to this crisis:

• The richest 1% create more emissions than the poorest 50%

• The countries least responsible often suffer most

• Island nations like Tuvalu are disappearing despite contributing almost nothing to emissions

Climate justice means:

• Wealthy nations helping vulnerable countries adapt

• Ensuring clean energy transition doesn't leave anyone behind

• Supporting communities already facing climate impacts

• Addressing "loss and damage", which is financial compensation for irreversible climate harm

Understanding Climate Jargon

Net Zero: Balancing emissions released with emissions removed, so total atmospheric greenhouse gases stop increasing

Carbon Negative/Drawdown: Actually removing more CO₂ than we emit, reversing atmospheric accumulation

Legacy Emissions: The greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere from past activities, still causing warming. These are the ones we need to remove through drawdown. 

Tipping Points: Thresholds where small changes trigger major, often irreversible shifts. Both negative and positive tipping points exist. 

What You Can Do

High-Impact Personal Actions

There is so much you can do personally to make a difference. And this will help inspire the wider culture change we need. For example:

1. Vote for leaders who take climate seriously

2. Switch to renewable energy if possible

3. Reduce flying (one transatlantic flight = months of driving)

4. Eat less meat (choose meat from regenerative sources)

5. Insulate your home (biggest household emission cut)

6. Move your money (banks funding fossil fuels vs. clean energy)

You’ll find loads more ideas on the Eco Positivity Coach blog, especially in the Respond section. 

Reasons for Hope

The Momentum Is Building

• Renewable energy is growing exponentially

• Over 70 countries are committed to net zero

• Major companies are racing to decarbonise

• Young people are driving unprecedented activism

Success Stories

• China is installing more solar annually than the US has total

• Indonesia has reduced deforestation by 60% in recent years

• EU has cut emissions 35% while growing the economy 60%

• Kenya gets 90% of its power from renewables

Technology Breakthroughs

• Solar costs have dropped 89% in ten years

• Batteries are getting more reliable and affordable, making solar power a reliable option 

• Electric cars are getting more affordable, and with a longer range 

Nature Is Resilient

When given the chance, ecosystems bounce back remarkably fast:

• Forests regrow

• Species return

• Soils regenerate

• Ocean life recovers

Did you know? I live off-grid in the middle of a beautiful 11-hectare forest. It has a diverse mix of tree and wildflower species, and I see wild animals like foxes, pine martens, and wild boar every day. But 70 years ago, my land was just empty fields. And no one planted a single tree, the forest came back all by itself when the last family left the land. That is the incredible power of nature!

The Path Forward

Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, but it's not unstoppable. We have the knowledge, technology, and resources. What we need is the will to act at the speed and scale required.

Remember:

• Every fraction of a degree matters

• Every choice matters

• Every voice matters

The transition to a clean, fair, and resilient world isn't just about avoiding catastrophe; it's about building something better. Cleaner air, healthier communities, green jobs, energy independence, and a stable climate for our children.

The question isn't whether we'll act on climate change. We will, because we must. The question is whether we'll act fast enough. And that depends on all of us, starting now.

I hope you found this blog post helpful! You can sign up for my monthly newsletter on my homepage to receive the latest blog posts, free resources to help with eco-anxiety, and information about upcoming events. If you'd like to book individual coaching with me, you can book an initial call below:

Initial Call

30

Book Now