Climate change is considered a natural process which happens on our planet, but it is needed a long time, millions of years or at least thousands of years for big climatic changes to occur. In the present days, the topic of climate change is widely spoken for, since Earth's temperature is changing in un-precedent rates. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the average over all land and ocean surface temperature has warmed roughly 1.53°F (0.85ºC) from 1880 to 2012. Based on previous changes in the climate, this fast change of climate on our planet cannot be explained by natural reasons.

Science also shows that human activity is the one causing the global warming, the main reason being the greenhouse gases emitted in the atmosphere, especially CO2, which is emitted in high quantities by the industry. Climate change is an issue of major concern, because a continuation of human activity with the same patterns would warm the earth in a level which can make the planet inhabitable. IPCC also explains that a 2ºC change is considered very dangerous, while an average increase of more than 2ºC is going to have fatal consequences on a lot of people, .

During the COP (Conference of the Parties) which takes place every year, governments have committed to keep Earth's temperature below 2 ºC warming. The current times are decisive - next year in COP21, which takes place in Paris, it is expected to have a global climate agreement where countries are going to pledge the amount of emission reductions that they bind to in order to keep the climate below 2ºC warming.

Here you can read some facts and find more materials related to the issue:

• Average global temperatures increased by about 1ºCelsius over the 20th century.

• Don't let average temperatures fool you: A 1º increase may be found in one place, a 12º increase in another place, and yet other areas may become much colder.

• 15% of carbon emissions come from deforestation and land use change.

• Climate change is linked to stronger hurricanes, more drought and increased coral deaths from bleaching.

• Rising sea levels – another outcome of global warming – increase the risk of coastal flooding, and could cause population displacement. More than half of the world's population now lives within 60 kilometres of shorelines. Resource for facts here.

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• What are climate change and global warming
• IPCC latest report on climate science
• Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth
• Map with the impacts of a global temperature rise
• Book: This changes everything
• Climate change, threats and impacts
• Coral reef bleaching
• Global warming effects map