What is the difference between climate variability and climate change?
Climate change generally refers to the long-term change in average weather conditions at the global level. The WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has confirmed that the overall climate change trend is one of increasing global average surface temperatures. Within any given day, month or year, however, variations in the weather occur at regional and local levels. This climate variability can take the form of natural hazards, such as floods, drought, cold- and heatwaves, cyclones and storms. Such extremes are related to climate change, however: the IPCC predicts that a number of weather and climate extremes will become more frequent and/or intense as a result of increased global surface temperatures. Although no single extreme event signals climate change, over time, it can become part of a pattern of increased climate variability due to climate change.
