Climate change occurs when changes in the earth's climate system result in new weather patterns that remain in place for an extended period of time.
Rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, such as methane, create a 'greenhouse effect' in the atmosphere, trapping the sun's energy and causing the earth, and in particular the oceans, to warm.
We can all rise to the challenge of reducing our own carbon footprint. This is the amount of carbon dioxide and other gas released by an individual's lifestyle or by an organisation into the atmosphere which cannot be absorbed by the reducing number of trees and other vegetation.