Climate change is happening because human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests, are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat and cause the Earth’s average temperature to rise, which can lead to a variety of negative impacts, including stronger hurricanes, longer droughts, and melting ice caps. To mitigate climate change, we need to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases by transitioning to cleaner energy and making lifestyle changes, such as using public transportation or eating less meat.