Climate Change and Global Warming

Although climate change and global warming are frequently used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings. Similarly, the terms "weather" and "climate" are sometimes used interchangeably, even though they refer to events with vastly different spatial and temporal scales. Weather describes atmospheric conditions that occur locally over short periods ranging from minutes to hours or days. Rain, snow, clouds, winds, floods, and thunderstorms are all common examples. On the other hand, climate also to the long-term (typically at least 30 years) regional or global average of temperature, humidity, and rainfall patterns over seasons, years, or decades, as depicted in this Climate Change and Global Warming diagram.