FAQs

Climate change is the long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns caused by heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere alters how the global climate system functions and affects local weather patterns. 

Greenhouse gases (GHG) are a group of molecules emitted from natural and human sources that can trap heat from solar radiation and rerelease that heat to the surrounding atmosphere. The more GHGs in the atmosphere the more heat that is trapped to increase the temperature of the atmosphere which disrupts the global climate system. The most impactful GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).

Sources of greenhouse gas emissions entering the atmosphere are significantly reduced with the remaining emissions absorbed by the environment or technology system for storage. Some human sources of GHG emissions may be still produced, zero emissions cannot be directly achieved but can be balanced by carbon sequestration in plants, oceans, and carbon capture technologies.