albedoHow reflective a surface is, on a scale of 0 to 1. Fresh snow scores about 0.8 and open ocean about 0.06, so where ice melts the planet takes in more sunlight.
carbon dioxideA gas of one carbon and two oxygen atoms, CO2. It is the main gas behind the warming. The air now holds about half as much again as it did before the Industrial Revolution.
climate changeA lasting change in Earth's usual patterns of weather. It covers more than warming: rainfall, sea level and ice change too. The change now under way comes mainly from the burning of coal, oil and gas.
combustionThe chemical name for burning. When a fuel that holds carbon burns, the carbon joins with oxygen from the air and leaves as carbon dioxide.
emissionsWhat a smokestack or an engine sends into the air. Greenhouse gas emissions around the world came to over 60 billion tons in 2025.
fossil fuelA fuel dug or pumped from ancient buried remains. Coal, oil and natural gas took millions of years to form, so what is burned is not replaced.
Show all 36 terms (30 more)
Climate change basics, continued
global warmingThe heating of the whole planet over many decades. The surface has warmed by about 1.1 degrees Celsius, nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit, since the late 1800s.
greenhouse effectThe warming of a planet as gases in its air hold heat. Without it Earth would average about -18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit) and not about 15 (59).
greenhouse gasA gas that soaks up heat rising from Earth's surface. Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and water vapor are the five most plentiful in the air.
methaneThe gas, CH4, that makes up most of natural gas. Livestock, landfills, and coal, oil and gas production all release it.
renewable energyPower from sources that never run out, like wind. Sunlight, wind, moving water, plant matter and heat from inside the Earth are the main sources.
sea level riseThe gradual gain in the height of the world's seas. Global sea level has risen 8 to 9 inches (21 to 24 centimeters) since 1880.
Carbon and the atmosphere 12
biomassLiving or once-living matter, such as logs and straw. It holds carbon that plants took from the air not long ago, which is how it differs from coal.
carbon cycleThe movement of carbon among air, sea, land and life. Plants take carbon from the air, animals eat the plants, and breathing and rotting send the carbon back.
carbon sinkAnything that takes in more carbon than it lets out. Plants and the ocean are the two biggest. The ocean holds about 50 times as much carbon as the atmosphere.
deforestationThe clearing of forest so the land has another use. Farming is the direct cause of most of it. Carbon stored in the trees returns to the air as carbon dioxide.
energy budgetThe balance of energy Earth takes in and gives off. When more arrives from the sun than leaves for space, the planet warms.
global surface temperatureHow warm the land and sea surface is, on average. It joins air temperatures over land with temperatures of the sea surface, taken by weather stations and satellites.
Industrial RevolutionThe 1700s shift from hand work to factory machines. It began in Great Britain around 1760. Carbon dioxide then stood at about 280 parts per million.
parts per millionHow many of every million particles are of one kind. Carbon dioxide passed 420 parts per million of the air in the 2020s. The short form is ppm.
petroleumCrude oil: a dark liquid fossil fuel found in rock. Gasoline, diesel and kerosene are refined from it.
photosynthesisSugar-making in leaves, which pulls CO2 from the air. Plants use light, water and carbon dioxide for it, and give off oxygen.
respirationHow cells release energy from food, giving off CO2. It is one of the ways that carbon taken in by plants goes back into the air.
troposphereThe layer of air nearest the ground. It holds about 80 percent of the mass of the atmosphere and nearly all of its water vapor, and most weather happens in it.
Effects and solutions 12
biofuelFuel made from plants or other recent living matter. Most is used in transportation. Ethanol blended into gasoline is one.
electric vehicleA car, bus or train driven by an electric motor. Electric vehicles go back to the late 1800s. They are promoted today as a way to cut the gases that come from tailpipes.
energy conservationSaving energy by changing what people do. Turning off the lights on leaving a room is conservation. Swapping in a bulb that needs less power is efficiency.
energy efficiencyUsing less energy to get the same result. An LED bulb gives the same light as an incandescent bulb and needs less electricity.
extreme weatherWeather far outside what a place usually gets. Heat waves, cold waves, droughts and very heavy rain or snow are the main kinds.
ice ageA time when glaciers covered much more of the land. The last cold peak was about 20,000 years ago, and sea level has been rising since.
ice coreA long sample of ancient ice pulled up by a drill. Air bubbles in its layers show how much carbon dioxide the air once held. Cores have brought up ice 800,000 years old.
ocean acidificationSeawater turning less basic as it absorbs CO2. The ocean surface went from about pH 8.15 in 1950 to 8.05 in 2020. Corals and mollusks are especially at risk.
permafrostEarth that remains frozen all year, every year. It must stay frozen at least two years to count. As it thaws, buried plant matter rots and gives off carbon dioxide or methane.
storm surgeA rise of seawater pushed ashore by a storm's winds. It is measured as height above the normal tide. As sea level rises, surges put coasts at more risk.
thermal expansionGrowth in volume caused by a rise in temperature. Warming seawater takes up more room. With meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets, that is why sea level is rising.
wind powerElectricity made by turbines that the wind turns. It supplied over 8 percent of the electricity of the world in 2025.
This climate change vocabulary worksheet sets greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, methane, emissions, fossil fuel, sea level rise, albedo and five more terms beside their meanings in another order. An answer key prints as the last page.
Read the full guide
Carbon and the atmosphere
Set opens on Climate change basics. The second set has carbon cycle, carbon sink, deforestation, photosynthesis, respiration, biomass, petroleum, Industrial Revolution, parts per million, energy budget, troposphere and global surface temperature.
Effects and solutions
The third set has thermal expansion, permafrost, ice core, ocean acidification, extreme weather, storm surge and ice age, then wind power, biofuel, energy efficiency, energy conservation and electric vehicle.
Climate, weather, mitigation and adaptation are not terms here. They are words on the global warming word search.
Questions and answers
What are the main causes of climate change?
Human activities, above all the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, which adds carbon dioxide to the air. Clearing forests and some farming and industry add greenhouse gases too. The sun's output has shown no net increase since 1880.
What is a carbon footprint?
A figure for the total greenhouse gases that an activity, a product, a company or a country adds to the atmosphere. It is usually given in tons of carbon dioxide or its equivalent, for example per year.
What does net zero mean?
Net zero is reached when the greenhouse gases that people emit are balanced by the amount they remove from the air. Getting there calls for deep cuts in emissions, with removal covering the small part that is left.
Is there a climate change vocabulary worksheet for middle school as a PDF?
Yes. Print worksheet opens the print window, where Save as PDF keeps the file. The sheet prints no grade: its three sets go from the basic terms to carbon and the atmosphere, then to effects and solutions.