The world's climate has always been changing, but climate change in the past has been mostly gradual, with some rapid events. Today's warming is relatively sudden and rapid, and linked to the way in which humans are treating the planet they live on. This matters because the future of life on Earth, no less, depends on our understanding of the problem and the actions we take.

This book is one in the Question It! series for readers upwards of age 10, which explores globally important topics relating to the environment in a balanced and objective way, encouraging readers to adopt a questioning approach to the issues involved. Titles in the 6-book series are: Climate Change, Food, Natural Habitats, Oil, Population and Water.