Climate change is caused by both the loss of our earthās natural carbon sinks (such as forests that absorb carbon) and the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (produced through the burning of fossil fuels).
The earth is kept at a habitable temperature through a natural process called the greenhouse effect, in which certain greenhouse gases trap heat within the atmosphere by absorbing thermal infrared radiation and redirecting it towards the surface. Normally, this process traps enough heat in our atmosphere to keep our planet at a temperature that can support life.
But human activity is changing the composition of our skies by releasing high quantities of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in to the atmosphere. We do this through activities which include cutting down and burning forests and burning fossil fuels.