A really simple guide to climate change

The climate has changed naturally throughout the Earth's history.

But natural causes cannot explain the particularly rapid warming seen over the last century, according to the UN's climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

This has been without doubt caused by human activities, especially the widespread use of fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas - in homes, factories and transport systems.

When fossil fuels burn, they release greenhouse gases - mostly carbon dioxide (CO2). This CO2 acts like a blanket, trapping extra energy in the atmosphere near the Earth's surface. This causes the planet to heat up.