Is climate change real?

Your question touches on the science — I'll gather the latest peer-reviewed evidence to show what the data says.

Yes, according to the overwhelming scientific evidence and scientific consensus — climate change is real and happening now.

Scientific evidence continues to show that human activities (primarily the human burning of fossil fuels) have warmed Earth's surface and its ocean basins, which in turn have continued to impact Earth's climate. NASA summarizes this as: there is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate, and human activity is the principal cause.

Key points from scientific organizations and assessments:

•Climate change is occurring. "Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver."

•There is strong scientific consensus. Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities. The American Association for the Advancement of Science summarized: "Based on well-established evidence, about 97% of climate scientists have concluded that human-caused climate change is happening."

•Human influence is unequivocal. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body that synthesizes climate science, states: "It is unequivocal that the increase of CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere over the industrial era is the result of human activities and that human influence is the principal driver of many changes observed across the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and biosphere." Comparing observations with model runs that include and exclude human influence led the IPCC to state that it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land

•From theory to established fact. According to the IPCC, "Since systematic scientific assessments began in the 1970s, the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theory to established fact." The same statement is cited by NASA as: "Since systematic scientific assessments began in the 1970s, the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theory to established fact."

•Multiple independent lines of evidence agree. Scientific information taken from natural sources (such as ice cores, rocks, and tree rings) and from modern equipment (like satellites and instruments) all show the signs of a changing climate.

Evidence for rapid, recent change:

•The rate of change since the mid-20th century is unprecedented over millennia.

•The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide emissions.

•Current warming is occurring roughly 10 times faster than the average rate of warming after an ice age, and carbon dioxide from human activities is increasing about 250 times faster than it did from natural sources after the last Ice Age.

Other observed signs that NASA lists as compelling evidence include: warming oceans, shrinking Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, retreating glaciers, decreasing spring snow cover, rising sea level, declining Arctic sea ice, increasing extreme temperature events, and increasing ocean acidification.

In short: While Earth's climate has changed throughout its history due to natural factors like small variations in Earth's orbit, the current warming trend is different — it is proceeding at a rate not seen over many recent millennia and is clearly the result of human activities since the mid-1800s.

Major science academies, professional societies, and U.S. government science agencies have all issued statements endorsing this consensus.

Citations (2)

1nasa.govGovernment
Scientific Consensus - NASA Science
Backs: “Yes, according to the overwhelming scientific evidence and scientific consensus — climate change is real and happening now. Scientific evidence continues to show that human activities (primarily the human burning of fossil fuels) have warmed Earth's surface and its ocean basins, which in turn have continued to impact…”
2nasa.govGovernment
Evidence - NASA Science
Backs: “From theory to established fact. According to the IPCC, "Since systematic scientific assessments began in the 1970s, the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theory to established fact." The same statement is cited by NASA as: "Since systematic scientific assessments began…”