Is climate change real?

Yes, climate change is real.

There is an overwhelming consensus among the global scientific community—including organizations like NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—that the Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate, and that this warming is primarily driven by human activities.

1. The Evidence: How We Know It’s Happening

Scientists monitor the Earth’s climate using ground stations, weather balloons, ocean buoys, and satellites. The data from these diverse sources point to the same conclusion:

•Global Temperature Rise: The planet’s average surface temperature has risen by about 1.1°C (2°F) since the late 19th century. The vast majority of this warming has occurred in the last few decades, with recent years ranking as some of the warmest on record.

•Warming Oceans: The oceans absorb more than 90% of the excess heat trapped in the Earth's atmosphere. This is causing ocean temperatures to rise, which fuels stronger storms and damages marine ecosystems like coral reefs.

•Shrinking Ice Sheets and Glaciers: Greenland and Antarctica are losing hundreds of billions of tons of ice per year. Glaciers in mountain ranges around the world (like the Alps, Himalayas, and Rockies) are in rapid retreat.

•Rising Sea Levels: Global sea levels have risen about 8 inches (20 cm) in the last century, and the rate of rise is accelerating. This is caused by two main factors: water melting from glaciers and ice sheets, and the thermal expansion of seawater as it warms.

•Extreme Weather Events: Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and severe. Heatwaves are hotter and longer, wildfires are more intense, droughts are more prolonged, and heavy downpours leading to flooding are more common.

•Ocean Acidification: The oceans have absorbed about 30% of the carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) emitted by humans. This excess carbon dioxide chemically reacts with seawater, making the oceans more acidic and threatening marine life, particularly shellfish and plankton.

2. What Is Causing It?

The primary driver of modern climate change is the greenhouse effect.

The Earth's atmosphere naturally contains "greenhouse gases"—such as water vapor, carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), methane ($CH_4$), and nitrous oxide ($N_2O$)—which trap heat from the Sun to keep the planet warm enough to sustain life. Without them, Earth would be a frozen desert.

However, since the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1800s, human activities have dramatically increased the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere:

•Burning Fossil Fuels: Burning coal, oil, and natural gas for electricity, heating, and transportation is the largest source of $CO_2$ emissions.

•Deforestation: Trees absorb $CO_2$. Cutting down forests releases that stored carbon back into the atmosphere and reduces the planet's capacity to absorb future emissions.

•Agriculture and Industry: Activities like raising livestock (which produces methane) and manufacturing cement add significant amounts of potent greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

By adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, humans have effectively wrapped the Earth in a thicker blanket, trapping more heat and warming the planet.

3. The Scientific Consensus

Among actively publishing climate scientists, over 97% to 100% agree that climate change is real and caused by humans.

This consensus is shared by nearly every major scientific academy and organization in the world, including:

•The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): The leading international body for climate assessment, representing thousands of scientists from 195 countries. In its landmark assessments, the IPCC has stated that human influence on the climate system is "unequivocal".

•National Academies of Sciences: The national academies of sciences in dozens of countries (including the U.S., the U.K., Canada, China, and Germany) have issued joint statements declaring that climate change is real, human-caused, and requires urgent action.

Conclusion

Climate change is not a prediction for the far-off future—its effects are being observed right now around the globe. Understanding that climate change is real and caused by human activity is the foundation for global efforts to reduce emissions, transition to renewable energy, and protect communities from the impacts of a warming world.

Citations (8)

1nasa.govGovernment
nasa.gov
Backs: “Yes, climate change is real.”
2wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “There is an overwhelming consensus among the global scientific community—including organizations like NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—that the Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate, and that this warming is primarily driven…”
3nasa.govGovernment
nasa.gov
Backs: “The Evidence: How We Know It’s Happening. Scientists monitor the Earth’s climate using ground stations, weather balloons, ocean buoys, and satellites. The data from these diverse sources point to the same conclusion:”
4nasa.govGovernment
nasa.gov
Backs: “Warming Oceans: The oceans absorb more than 90% of the excess heat trapped in the Earth's atmosphere. This is causing ocean temperatures to rise, which fuels stronger storms and damages marine ecosystems like coral reefs.”
5nasa.govGovernment
nasa.gov
Backs: “Rising Sea Levels: Global sea levels have risen about 8 inches (20 cm) in the last century, and the rate of rise is accelerating. This is caused by two main factors: water melting from glaciers and ice sheets, and the thermal expansion of seawater as it warms.”
6mikehulme.orgNot yet classified
mikehulme.org
Backs: “This consensus is shared by nearly every major scientific academy and organization in the world, including: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): The leading international body for climate assessment, representing thousands of scientists from 195 countries. In its landmark assessments, the IPCC has…”
7ipcc.chGovernment
ipcc.ch
Backs: “This consensus is shared by nearly every major scientific academy and organization in the world, including: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): The leading international body for climate assessment, representing thousands of scientists from 195 countries. In its landmark assessments, the IPCC has…”
8ipcc.chGovernment
ipcc.ch
Backs: “In its landmark assessments, the IPCC has stated that human influence on the climate system is "unequivocal". National Academies of Sciences: The national academies of sciences in dozens of countries (including the U.S., the U.K., Canada, China, and Germany) have issued joint statements declaring that climate change…”