At a Glance

Global warming refers to the rise in global average temperatures of the Earth over time and is considered human-caused.Climate change includes warming and the impacts of warming.

Making the distinction between global warming and climate change can be pretty confusing for many people, but they really are two very different things.

While global warming refers to therise in global average temperatures of the Earth over time, climate changeincludes warming and the impacts of warming, such as melting glaciers, changes in weather patterns, increasingly dangerous hurricanes or more frequent drought, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"Said another way, global warming is one symptom of the much larger problem of human-caused climate change," NOAA says.

There are some other distinctions between the two terms that not everyone is familiar with.

For example, global warming, a relatively recent term used by scientists, really only refers to warming that is caused by humans, primarily from greenhouse emissions released by burning fossil fuels but also through aerosol pollution, farming and deforestation. Climate change, on the other hand, can refer to both human-caused and those that occur naturally, like ice ages.

The earth has warmed and cooled throughout its 4.5-billion-year history, but what makes climate change different today is the rateat which the earth is warming.

"The current increase in global average temperature appears to be occurring much faster than at any point since modern civilization and agriculture developed in the past 11,000 years or so—and probably faster than any interglacial warm periods over the last million years," NOAA notes.

"Think of being on a really big roller coaster," says weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles. "Climate change is the entire roller coaster and global warming is that really long trek to the top of the first lift hill one click at a time. As enthusiasts get used to the height of these roller coasters, they ask for bigger and better coasters. Theme parks put more work into creating these bigger and badder rides. This is global warming forced by man. Eventually, technology slows down the growth of these rides, and accidents can even drive down the size of rides. This is the natural cycle of climate (or roller coaster) change. These peaks and hills may change in roller coasters over the years, or millenia, but there will always be swings."

The first time "global warming" was used was in a 1975 Science article by geochemist Wallace Broecker of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory: "Climatic Change: Are We on the Brink of a Pronounced Global Warming?"

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The term became more popular among scientists, particularlyafter the National Academy of Science released a study in 1979 on the impact of carbon dioxide on climate. Known as theCharney Report, author Julie Charney of the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology in Cambridge became one of the first to warnthat "if carbon dioxide continues to increase, [we find] no reason to doubt that climate changes will result and no reason to believe that these changes will be negligible."

NOAA says the bottom line is "today’s global warming is an unprecedented type of climate change, and it is driving acascade of side effectsin our climate system."

"It’s these side effects, such as changes in sea level along heavily populated coastlines and the worldwide retreat of mountain glaciers that millions of people depend on for drinking water and agriculture, that are likely to have a much greater impact on society than temperature change alone."

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Global Warming Effects in Alaska

Global Warming Effects in Alaska

An arch made from Bowhead whale bones lies June 4, 2006 in Browerville, Alaska. Scientists continue to study changes in the Earth's climate which many attribute to the emission of greenhouse gases. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)