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GPT-5Sep 12, 2026openai/gpt-5-2025-08-07
Are humans responsible for climate change?
Yes
Yes. Humans are the dominant cause of the warming observed since the mid‑20th century.
Why scientists are confident:
•Greenhouse gases from burning coal, oil, and gas, plus deforestation and agriculture, have raised atmospheric CO2 about 50% above pre‑industrial levels, strengthening the greenhouse effect.
•“Fingerprints” match human influence: the lower atmosphere warms while the stratosphere cools; nights and winters warm faster than days and summers; the oceans accumulate most of the added heat.
•Climate models only reproduce the observed warming when human emissions are included; runs with natural factors alone (solar changes, volcanoes) cannot explain the trend.
•Isotopic evidence shows the added CO2 comes from ancient carbon (fossil fuels), not natural short‑term sources.
In short: virtually all of the global warming since around 1950 is attributable to human activities. If you’d like, I can point you to key sources or dive into any of the lines of evidence.