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GPT-5Sep 21, 2026openai/gpt-5-2025-08-07
Is climate change real?
Yes. The evidence that Earth’s climate is warming—and that human activities are the main cause—is overwhelming.
What we measure
•Global average temperature has risen by about 1.1–1.3°C since the late 1800s.
•Atmospheric CO2 climbed from ~280 ppm (preindustrial) to over 420 ppm today, mainly from burning coal, oil, and gas and from deforestation.
•Oceans are heating up, sea level has risen more than 20 cm (about 8 inches) since 1900, and glaciers and ice sheets are losing mass.
Human fingerprints
•The lower atmosphere warms while the stratosphere cools (a hallmark of greenhouse-gas warming).
•Nights and winters are warming faster than days and summers, and the Arctic is warming especially quickly.
•Models that include human emissions reproduce the observed warming; those with natural factors alone do not.
Impacts already seen
•More extreme heat, heavier downpours, intensified drought and wildfire risk, and higher coastal flooding from sea-level rise. Regional details vary, but the global trends are clear.
Scientific consensus
•Major scientific bodies (e.g., the IPCC and national academies) conclude the warming is real and primarily human-caused.
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