What does climate change refer to?

Climate change refers to long-term alterations in temperature and precipitation patterns that persist over extended periods, typically decades to millions of years. This concept encompasses a wide range of changes due to various factors, including natural processes and human activities such as greenhouse gas emissions. Key aspects of climate change involve shifts in climate averages and extreme weather events, leading to significant impacts on ecosystems and human societies.

The other options describe phenomena that are typically associated with short-term variability or seasonal patterns rather than the long-term trends that characterize climate change. Instantaneous weather changes, monthly variations in humidity, and seasonal weather patterns do not capture the broader and more sustained changes in the climate system that climate change entails.