| Main Entry: | climate change |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | any long-term significant change in the weather patterns of an area; also used figuratively |
| Example: | Climate change can be natural or caused by changes people have made to the land or atmosphere. |
climate change
periodic modification of Earth's climate brought about as a result of changes in the atmosphere as well as interactions between the atmosphere and various other geologic, chemical, biological, and geographic factors within the Earth system
Learn more about climate change with a free trial on Britannica.com.