Which term describes the long-term increase in Earth's average temperature due to human activities?

• A. Global warming
• B. Ozone depletion
• C. Climate change
• D. Acid rain

Answer: (C)

Think about what happens when human activities release greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. The term that describes the long-term rise in Earth’s average surface temperature is global warming. It focuses on the warming itself caused mainly by burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and other human actions.

Climate change is related but broader: it covers changes not just in temperature, but in precipitation patterns, sea level, ice cover, and overall climate stability that result from the warming plus other natural and human factors.

Ozone depletion is about thinning the ozone layer in the stratosphere, not a direct description of the sustained temperature increase. Acid rain refers to rain made acidic by pollutants, which is a environmental issue separate from the long-term temperature trend. So the precise term for the temperature rise is global warming, while climate change encompasses the wider array of climate shifts that follow from that warming.