Final answer:
Global warming specifically refers to the rise in global temperatures due to increased greenhouse gases, while climate change encompasses both the warming and its diverse effects, including extreme weather events. Human activity, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, has led to a rapid and unprecedented rate of change, impacting ecosystems and global climate systems.
Step-by-step explanation:
Global warming is the increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases, leading to a stronger greenhouse effect. Climate change is a broader term that encompasses both global warming and the resulting large-scale changes in weather patterns.
Although the Earth's climate has experienced fluctuations due to natural causes such as volcanic eruptions and solar activity, the rapid climate change we're witnessing today is largely driven by human activities, particularly since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. This phenomenon is marked by significant increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as a consequence of fossil fuel burning.
It's important to note that climate change does indeed cause shifts in average weather conditions lasting several decades, but it's also responsible for extreme weather events. Unlike the natural causes that led to periods like the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age, today's climate change is attributed to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, with far-reaching effects on global temperatures and ecosystems.
Despite the occurrence of natural climate variability over the Earth's history, the current rate of climate change is unprecedented within the context of human civilization. Moreover, the consistent upward trend in global warming poses significant challenges, including more frequent and intense extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and disruptions to natural and human systems.