The glaciers are melting, the sea level is rising, the forests are drying up and the fauna and flora are struggling to follow this rhythm. It is increasingly evident that humans have caused most of the warming of the last century, through the emission of gases that retain heat, to enhance our modern life. We call greenhouse gases and their levels are getting higher.
Greenhouse effect: The "greenhouse effect" is the heating that occurs when certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere retain heat. These gases let in light but keep the heat like the glass walls of a greenhouse.
Scientists often use the term "climate change" instead of global warming. This is because, as the average temperature of the Earth increases, the oceanic winds and currents move the heat around the globe so that they can cool some areas, heat others and change the amount of rain and snow that falls.