'Climate Change' vs 'Global Warming'

      "How is there global warming if it is snowing in Hawaii?"

      "I don't remember winters in Ontario being this cold before. Does this mean global warming is not a problem anymore?"

These are not bad questions. Often the terms 'climate change' and 'global warming' seem to be used interchangeably; they both are typically brought up in the context of human activities harming the natural environment and messing with temperature. This has led some to think that these are just two different terms that mean the same thing.

However, while both have to do with the the way human activities and carbon emissions are affecting our planet, they actually have different meanings. So what's the difference?

Global Warming

"[The] phenomenon of increasing average air temperatures near the surface of Earth over the past one to two centuries" - Britannica.com

      If you measured the temperature in different places all over the world, all that data might not necessarily tell you whether or not you'll need a warmer jacket for life in your hometown. However, with enough representative points of data, you could use it to calculate the Earth's overall average temperature.
     The increase in the Earth's overall average surface temperature is what we call Global Warming.
     Considering how since the industrial revolution there has been so much more production, more cars, and fewer trees to filter carbon dioxide out of the air, it's easy for many people to picture the greenhouse effect increasing the planet's average temperature.
     But then how do colder temperatures in some places come into play?

Climate Change

"Climate change occurs when long-term weather patterns are altered — for example, through human activity. Global warming is one measure of climate change..." - davidsuzuki.org (italics added)

While weather is short-term atmospheric conditions, climate describes an area's normal, long-term weather patterns. For example, a desert may have rainy weather for a day, but it does not have a wet climate, and only a certain amount of rain would be reasonably expected.
    From area to area, "normal" climate will mean something different. It's normal to have snow in Alaska, but much hotter weather is normal in LA. Therefore, a "change" in climate can mean different things in different places. A specific area's climate change may not necessarily be manifested as cool-to-hot, but it can cause extreme weather events to increase in general.
     Even human infrastructure is designed based on predictable ranges of day-to-day weather that the region might be expected to experience, with some margin for error. However, climate systems are very complex, so different areas are experiencing problems because their infrastructure was not designed for what is becoming current conditions.

      We might not be able to observe global warming directly in our own backyards, but we still could perceive climate change through a lot of weird weather lately.
      So if you happen to be on a coast where the waterline has risen far past your favourite spot, feel free to shake your head at global warming. Conversely, if you happen to be in Hawaii and you find it has been cold enough to be snowing at oddly low elevations, you can go ahead and blame climate change.

Updated 2019-03-17

Resources

Kennedy, C., & Lindsey, R. (2015, June 17). What's the difference between global warming and climate change? Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-difference-between-global-warming-and-climate-changeLam, K. (2019, February 12). 

There's 'no place on the planet' – not even Hawaii – to escape climate change, experts say. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/11/hawaii-extreme-weather-example-climate-change-experts/2843281002/Selin, H., & Mann, M. E. (2019, January 30).

Global warming. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/science/global-warming

What is climate change? (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/what-is-climate-change/

What's in a name? Weather, global warming and climate change. (2019, February 06). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming/

Kennedy, C., & Lindsey, R. (2015, June 17). What's the difference between global warming and climate change? Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-difference-between-global-warming-and-climate-change

Lam, K. (2019, February 12). There's 'no place on the planet' – not even Hawaii – to escape climate change, experts say. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/11/hawaii-extreme-weather-example-climate-change-experts/2843281002/

Selin, H., & Mann, M. E. (2019, January 30). Global warming. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/science/global-warming

What is climate change? (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/what-is-climate-change/

What's in a name? Weather, global warming and climate change. (2019, February 06). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming/

Kennedy, C., & Lindsey, R. (2015, June 17). What's the difference between global warming and climate change? Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-difference-between-global-warming-and-climate-change

Lam, K. (2019, February 12). There's 'no place on the planet' – not even Hawaii – to escape climate change, experts say. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/11/hawaii-extreme-weather-example-climate-change-experts/2843281002/

Selin, H., & Mann, M. E. (2019, January 30). Global warming. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/science/global-warming

What is climate change? (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/what-is-climate-change/

What's in a name? Weather, global warming and climate change. (2019, February 06). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming/

Soggy Soccery Sympton: Changing Climate Affecting Soccer, Cricket, and Golf Games in UK

The change in climate has been affecting sport enthusiasts in soccer, cricket, and golf whose playing-scapes have been made too soggy to play on, and rising sea levels from melting ice in Greenland to the Himalayas are causing the erosion of coastal golf courses in Scotland.

The Weather Network posted a Reuters report yesterday that mentioned six out of the seven wettest years on record in the UK have been since the year 2000. Piers Forster who is a professor of climate change at University of Leeds contributed to the study told International News Agency, Reuters, "Britain is particularly susceptible to storms coming in from the North Atlantic."

Image A: Image credit: GISS NASA / Jack Cool, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The above illustration shows the flow of the North Atlantic current, its branches, and the flow of water it crosses paths with off the coast of UK.

Despite all these things that may pique curiosity for climate geeks and potential research project on the horizon, clearly not everyone feels the same way about this information:

Ok, I'll admit a cry of "the soccer fields are soggy" sounds trivial on its own and may cause flashbacks of schoolkids disappointed with the "tarmack-only" recesses.

And to be honest I don't even like golf. (There, I said it.)

Nevertheless there is a point to acknowledging this. It just seems like an interesting climate-related observation that everyday people like you and I might actually be seeing. If you or I frequented such fields, and that is assuming you are an 'everyday person' like me which might not be true in this context, but anywho... you probably get where I'm going with this. It's readily observable, and helps contributes details to an ever-so-slightly bigger-picture perspective.

Sources
News: https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/soccer-cricket-and-golf-handicapped-by-uk-climate-change/95195/
Image A: GISS NASA / Jack Cool, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/legrande_01/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:North_Atlantic_Circulation.gif
Image B: Under GNU Free Documentation Licence
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Circulacion_termohalina.jpg

Blue Alert: Walking on Thin Ice

In 2012 the record-loss of sea ice has raised the debate over whether it was an anomaly, or the beginning of a disastrous trend. What is certain is that current reforming ice will be the thinnest on record, meaning much less summer ice, and some are predicting that summer sea ice could be almost completely gone by the year 2016. Concern is being backed up ‘blue alert’ satellite images of disappearing sea ice, a testament to the fact that melting sea ice may be an even bigger environmental concern for 2013 than warming itself. Concerns about water levels are being raised again, however, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has not been able to predict if the climate in some specific regions will ultimately be wetter or drier, making it more difficult for politicians at the Doha climate talks to discuss ways to adapt to the ‘unstoppable’ minimum 2 °C rise. These is specific uncertainty in the northern hemisphere, as 2012 data showed a slowing of the jet stream resulting in extreme weather conditions including a heatwave in Russia, cold spells in Europe, and drought in America.

This reminded me of something that read,“What we do on land [and in the air] is reflected in the water”. We are conscious that the condition of our atmosphere is going from bad to worse, but the ‘blue alert’ and disappearing sea ice is a shocking gauge at how far we have really gone. Hearing more news about the worsening condition of our environment from the atmosphere to the way that it is affecting everything else in nature —even the weather—  is shocking. So much life on Earth will be affected by drastic changes in weather. Increased awareness has proven to lead to positive change in our thinking and attitudes, and all the time there is more news saying similar things about the increasing danger the environment is in, and although we’ve already caused a lot of damage, we can still make changes today to start improving.

Sources

Pearce, F. (2013, January 2). 2013 Smart Guide: Arctic melt will spark weird weather - environment -

02 January 2013 - New Scientist. New Scientist. Retrieved April 3, 2013, from http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21628965.300-2013-smart-guide-arctic-melt-will-spark-weird-weather.html