Are humans responsible for climate change?

Yes

Are humans driving climate change? I'll pull the latest scientific evidence to answer.

Yes, according to the overwhelming scientific consensus and evidence, human activity is responsible for the current climate change.

There is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate. Human activity is the principal cause.

> Scientific evidence continues to show that human activities (primarily the human burning of fossil fuels) have warmed Earth's surface and its ocean basins

Scientific Consensus

•The vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists – 97 percent – agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.

•Other syntheses put the consensus even higher: Today, 97% to 99.9% of climate scientists agree that climate change is happening and that human activity is the primary cause.

•Nearly all actively publishing climate scientists (97–100%) say humans are causing climate change, with a 2021 study concluding over 99% of scientific papers agree on the human cause.

This consensus is endorsed by leading science organizations around the world, including international and U.S. science academies and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

IPCC and NASA Findings

The IPCC, composed of scientific experts from countries all over the world, concluded that:

> 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

Similarly detailed on NASA Science:

•The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says there is 95 percent certainty that humans have caused most of the warming of the planet's surface that has occurred since the 1950s

•Earlier IPCC assessments described evidence for human-caused warming as "unequivocal" with greater than 90 percent certainty due to human activities.

How Humans Cause Warming

Scientists attribute the global warming trend observed since the mid-20th century to the human expansion of the "greenhouse effect" — warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space.

•Five key greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, and water vapor.

•Over the last century, burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

•The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by nearly 50% since 1750. This increase is due to human activities.

NASA direct observations have confirmed this mechanism:

> Now, a NASA study has confirmed these predictions with direct observations for the first time: radiative forcings are increasing due to human actions, affecting the planet's energy balance and ultimately causing climate change

Natural vs Human Causes

Climate has changed naturally in the past, but current warming cannot be explained by natural factors:

•While the Sun has played a role in past climate changes, the evidence shows the current warming cannot be explained by the Sun.

•Since 1750, the average amount of energy from the Sun either remained constant or decreased slightly, while temperatures have risen sharply, and climate models can't reproduce the observed temperature trend without including a rise in greenhouse gases.

In short, while natural variability affects climate, the rapid warming observed since the mid-20th century is dominated by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from burning fossil fuels.

Citations (2)

1nasa.govGovernment
Climate Change - NASA Science
Backs: “Yes, according to the overwhelming scientific consensus and evidence, human activity is responsible for the current climate change. There is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: There is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming and human activity is the principal cause, backed by scientific consensus.
2nasa.govGovernment
Causes - NASA Science
Backs: “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. Similarly detailed on NASA Science: it is…”
attribution, article, points to yes. Claim: IPCC concluded it is unequivocal that increases in CO2, methane and nitrous oxide result from human activities and human influence is the principal driver.