Welcome to this deck on climate change, a key topic in the 'Challenge of Natural Hazards' section of your AQA GCSE Geography paper. We'll explore the evidence that our climate is changing, look at both the natural and human causes, and examine the serious effects this is having on our planet and its people. Understanding these concepts is essential for building strong exam answers.

To understand modern climate change, we first need to know that Earth's climate has always changed naturally. The last 2.6 million years are known as the Quaternary period. This period has been characterised by cycles of cold glacial periods, often called ice ages, and warmer interglacial periods, like the one we are in now.

So how do we know about past climates? One of the most important methods is by studying ice cores. Scientists drill deep into ice sheets in places like Antarctica and Greenland. These cores contain layers of ice that have built up over thousands of years, trapping tiny bubbles of air from the past atmosphere.