More answers like this
Muse Spark 1.2Sep 14, 2026meta/muse-spark-1.2-20260805

Is climate change real?

Is climate change real? I'll gather the scientific evidence and consensus to answer you.

Yes, climate change is real and there is unequivocal evidence for it.

The Scientific Evidence

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

That conclusion is based on multiple lines of evidence collected over many years:

•Direct measurements of rising surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures showing Earth-orbiting satellites and other technologies reveal the signs and patterns of a changing climate.
•Global temperature records: According to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the average global temperature on Earth has increased by at least 1.1° Celsius (1.9° Fahrenheit) since 1880. The majority of the warming has occurred since 1975, at a rate of roughly 0.15 to 0.20°C per decade.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the international body that assesses climate science, concludes:

> Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, human influence on the climate system is clear

Other IPCC assessments phrased it as:

> The report says it is unequivocal that climate change is occurring and confirms there is at least 95% certainty that human activities are the principal cause

And:

> it is unequivocal that humans have caused the earth’s climate to warm, with a likely human contribution of 0.8 to 1.3 degrees Celsius to global mean temperature since the late 1800s

The Scientific Consensus

There is a very strong consensus in the scientific literature that global surface temperatures have increased in recent decades and that the trend is caused by human-induced change.

NASA summarizes:

> Yes, the vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists – 97 percent – agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change

Most leading science organizations around the world have issued public statements expressing this, including international and U.S. science academies and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

While Earth's climate has changed naturally in the past due to factors like solar variations and volcanic activity, scientists have found that:

> Scientists have known for some time, from multiple lines of evidence, that humans are changing Earth’s climate, primarily through greenhouse gas emissions

The current warming cannot be explained by natural factors alone and is occurring at an unprecedented rate compared to natural changes in the past.

Citations (2)

  1. 1nasa.govGovernment
    Climate Change - NASA Science

    Backs: “The Scientific Evidence. There is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate.”

  2. 2ipcc.chGovernment
    IPCC publishes full report Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis — IPCC

    Backs: “The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the international body that assesses climate science, concludes: Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, human influence on the climate system is clear”