New
New
Causes of climate change
I understand the physical and human causes of climate change.
Lesson 12 of 14
New
New
- Year 7
Causes of climate change
I understand the physical and human causes of climate change.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- There are both human and physical causes of climate change.
- Volcanoes, sunspots and Earth's changing orbit around the sun can change the climate.
- Human activity since the industrial revolution has been blamed for climate change.
- Greenhouse gases absorb energy from long-wave radiation and re-emit it back into our atmosphere.
Keywords
Climate change - a large-scale and long-term change in the planet’s climate, including weather patterns and average temperatures
Cause - the reason why something happens
Greenhouse gas - gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat
Greenhouse effect - the retention of heat in the atmosphere caused by the build up of greenhouse gases
Common misconception
Climate change is entirely caused by humans.
Students will recognise that our climate changes naturally and there are physical causes of this. Humans have intensified the process in recent years.
Reinforce that climate change is not just caused by humans, and that we do expect climate to change naturally over time.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is climate change?
What is climate change?
A temporary change in the weather
The difference between summer and winter
The daily weather forecast
Q2.Which of these is a natural cause of climate change?
Which of these is a natural cause of climate change?
Driving petrol and diesel cars
Burning fossil fuels
Cutting down forests
Q3.What are greenhouse gases?
What are greenhouse gases?
Gases that only exist in greenhouses
Harmless gases that have no effect on temperature
Gases that make the air fresher
Q4.Which human activity releases the most carbon dioxide (CO₂)?
Which human activity releases the most carbon dioxide (CO₂)?
Watching TV
Drinking bottled water
Q5.True or false? Earth's climate has never changed before humans existed.
True or false? Earth's climate has never changed before humans existed.
This is true because climate change is caused by humans
This is true because the climate changes every day
This is false because climate change is made up
Q6.As the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, the temperature of Earth...
As the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, the temperature of Earth...
decreases
stays the same
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Which of these are examples of natural causes of climate change?
Which of these are examples of natural causes of climate change?
burning fossil fules
population increase
Q2.Put the greenhouse effect in the correct order.
Put the greenhouse effect in the correct order.
Q3.When erupt they release ash and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In the short-term, ash cools Earth, in the long-term, the greenhouse gases add to global warming.
When erupt they release ash and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In the short-term, ash cools Earth, in the long-term, the greenhouse gases add to global warming.
Q4.Why are humans causing climate change?
Why are humans causing climate change?
