Global warming is the increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature due to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Climate change is a long term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region of Earth. Using the term “global warming” is not incorrect. However, most scientists use the term “climate change” as it encompasses the full range of effects due to increased carbon dioxide gases in the atmosphere.
The way CO2 in the atmosphere traps heat is often referred to as the “greenhouse effect”. Heat-trapping gases act like the windows of a greenhouse, letting light in, but not letting heat out. The issue with this metaphor is that most people do not actually know how a greenhouse works, and the science behind it can get complicated when trying to explain.
A tested metaphor is the “heat-trapping blanket” metaphor. Explaining that gases like CO2 work like a blanket around the Earth, trapping heat in, is brief and easy for guests to relate to. While CO2 does not work exactly like a blanket, it does not work exactly like a greenhouse, either. The heat-trapping blanket metaphor has been tested with audiences and is an effective way of simply explaining the effect of increased CO2 levels.