Hello there, and welcome to another edition of change 4 Ghana's Climate blog. Today, we are all about what causes climate change. Ignorance is no longer an excuse, so sit tight and learn more to help save the planet.

So we learnt the last time from the climate blog titled "What is Climate Change?" that climate change refers to the alterations in the long-observed weather patterns over geographical areas. We understood that these changes adversely affect the earth's ecosystem, as well as plants and animals. These changes are a threat to humanity and life as a whole. But then what causes climate change?

There are both natural and human-centered causes. Naturally, the earth performs some activities that cause some alterations in the climate. These include the natural concentration of greenhouse gases, volcanic eruptions, sun intensity, and many more. However, these naturally occurring activities are not as destructive as human activities have been in the last century. So what are humans doing to cause the change? Much of the climate alterations result from Global warming induced by human activities. The most significant of these activities is the Burning of fossils like coal and oil and Deforestation. How? The more fossils we burn, the more we emit greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane. These gases produce the greenhouse effect that makes the earth warmer. Moreover, we know trees absorb carbon dioxide in the air, so when we cut down the trees, we increase the concentration of the gases in the atmosphere. Other activities include agriculture, construction, illegal mining, fires and others. So remember, the next time you cut down a tree, engage in illegal mining or burn fossils for whatever reason, you are contributing to climate change and killing the earth.