Global Warming and Global Climate Change are used interchangeably, but can refer to different phenomena. I will try to dispel their differences and argue for why it is important to point out their differences in addition to their similarities.
Global warming refers to the increase in temperature in the Earth’s surface due to the increase usage of greenhouse gases. Global climate change refers to the overall change in Earth’s climate due to the temperature. Climate change and global warming are similar physical phenomena, but one term is exclusive to a causal link of gases and temperature increase.
Some critics and politicians would argue that there is no such phenomenon that suggests the increase of the earth’s temperature or climate. One argument would suggest that there has been no long term trend since 1997. There was one change in temperature trend from 1975 up until 1997, but since 1997 the temperature trend has remained consistent. Another argument against global warming would be that there is no historical data suggesting its occurrence and that earlier models of predicting global warming have not been deemed accurate as there has been no signs of it. Politicians love using the argument that since there has been no accuracy in models, there will not be any global warming to look forward to. They will even add that since the Arctic caps increased in 2012, there would be no possibility.
Now If I were a scientist wishing to help settle the debate, the data I would collect and analyze to study whether global climate change is occurring? I would look for an old tree. Paleo climatologists unlock the secrets of ancient climates is by studying the rings in certain types of trees, such as the redwoods and giant sequoias found in California and different varieties of pines. As a tree grows, it adds a new layer of wood to its trunk every year. This forms a ring, and the age of the tree can be determined by counting the number...