Is climate change real?

Yes

Yes, climate change is real. It is an established scientific fact, supported by overwhelming evidence from multiple independent lines of observation, and there is a near-unanimous consensus among climate scientists that it is occurring and is primarily driven by human activities.[1]

Scientific Consensus

•Multiple studies of peer-reviewed scientific literature show that over 97% (and in more recent analyses, greater than 99%) of actively publishing climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.[2]

•Leading scientific organizations worldwide—including NASA, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Sciences, and numerous others—have issued statements affirming this. The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6, 2021–2023) states it is “unequivocal” that human activities, principally through greenhouse gas emissions, have caused global warming.[3]

•Global surface temperature has risen about 1.1°C (approximately 2°F) above 1850–1900 levels (as of 2011–2020), with the warming rate unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years in recent decades.[4]

Key Evidence

Scientists observe climate change through:

•Rising global temperatures: Instrumental records, satellites, and paleoclimate data (ice cores, tree rings, sediments) show clear warming since the Industrial Revolution, accelerating in recent decades.[5]

•Greenhouse gas increases: Atmospheric CO₂, methane, and nitrous oxide have risen sharply due to fossil fuel burning, deforestation, and other human activities. Ice cores confirm current levels and the rate of increase are far outside natural variability of the past hundreds of thousands of years. The isotopic “fingerprint” of the carbon matches fossil sources.[6]

•Ocean changes: Oceans have absorbed ~90% of excess heat, leading to warming, expansion (contributing to sea-level rise), acidification, and more frequent marine heatwaves. Global sea levels have risen more than 4 inches (about 100 mm) since 1992 satellite measurements began, with contributions from thermal expansion and melting ice.[7]

•Cryosphere and other indicators: Widespread ice loss from glaciers, ice sheets (Greenland, Antarctica), and Arctic sea ice; thawing permafrost; shifts in precipitation patterns; and increases in the frequency/intensity of heatwaves, extreme precipitation, droughts, and certain storms in many regions.[8]

•Attribution studies: Natural factors (solar variability, volcanic activity) cannot explain the observed warming pattern. The Sun’s energy output has been stable or slightly declining while temperatures rose, and the vertical temperature profile (warming lower atmosphere, cooling upper) matches greenhouse gas forcing, not solar.[6]

These observations come from ground stations, ships, buoys, aircraft, satellites, and natural archives, cross-validated across independent datasets and research groups.

Context and Distinctions

Earth’s climate has always varied naturally (e.g., ice ages and interglacials driven by orbital cycles, solar changes, etc.). However, the current warming is happening much faster—roughly 10 times faster than typical post-ice-age rates—and coincides precisely with the rapid rise in human-emitted greenhouse gases since the mid-1800s. Climate models that include human forcings accurately reproduce the observed changes; those with only natural factors do not.[5]

“Climate change” refers to long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns, while “global warming” specifically denotes the rise in average surface temperature. Both are occurring, with cascading effects on weather extremes, ecosystems, sea levels, and human systems.

In short, the reality of climate change is not a matter of debate in the scientific community—it is confirmed by physics, observations, and rigorous analysis. Ongoing research focuses on refining projections, regional impacts, and solutions rather than questioning whether it is happening. For primary sources, see NASA’s climate pages and the IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report.

Citations (8)

1nasa.govGovernment
https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/faq/do-scientists-agree-on-climate-change/
Backs: “It is an established scientific fact, supported by overwhelming evidence from multiple independent lines of observation, and there is a near-unanimous consensus among climate scientists that it is occurring and is primarily driven by human activities.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Near-unanimous consensus among climate scientists that climate change is occurring and primarily driven by human activities.
2iop.orgAcademic
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2966
Backs: “Multiple studies of peer-reviewed scientific literature show that over 97% (and in more recent analyses, greater than 99%) of actively publishing climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Over 97%, and in recent analyses over 99%, of actively publishing climate scientists agree humans are causing global warming.
3nasa.govGovernment
https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/scientific-consensus/
Backs: “The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6, 2021–2023) states it is “unequivocal” that human activities, principally through greenhouse gas emissions, have caused global warming.”
attribution, article, points to yes. Claim: Leading scientific organizations and IPCC AR6 affirm it is unequivocal that human activities have caused global warming.
4ipcc.chGovernment
https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6syr/headline.html
Backs: “Global surface temperature has risen about 1.1°C (approximately 2°F) above 1850–1900 levels (as of 2011–2020), with the warming rate unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years in recent decades.”
statistic, official document, points to yes. Claim: Global surface temperature has risen about 1.1°C above 1850–1900 levels, with unprecedented warming rate in at least 2,000 years.
5archive.isData and tools
https://archive.is/2025.11.13-121149/https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/evidence/
Backs: “Instrumental records, satellites, and paleoclimate data (ice cores, tree rings, sediments) show clear warming since the Industrial Revolution, accelerating in recent decades.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Instrumental, satellite and paleoclimate data show clear warming; models with human forcings reproduce observed changes and current warming is much faster than post-ice-age rates.
6nasa.govGovernment
https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/causes/
Backs: “The isotopic “fingerprint” of the carbon matches fossil sources.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Greenhouse gas increases come from human activities, and natural factors like solar variability cannot explain observed warming.
7nasa.govGovernment
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/explore/the-ocean-and-climate-change/
Backs: “Global sea levels have risen more than 4 inches (about 100 mm) since 1992 satellite measurements began, with contributions from thermal expansion and melting ice.”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Oceans absorbed ~90% of excess heat; sea levels have risen more than 4 inches since 1992.
8nasa.govGovernment
https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/what-is-climate-change/
Backs: “Widespread ice loss from glaciers, ice sheets (Greenland, Antarctica), and Arctic sea ice; thawing permafrost; shifts in precipitation patterns; and increases in the frequency/intensity of heatwaves, extreme precipitation, droughts, and certain storms in many regions.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Ice loss, thawing permafrost, shifting precipitation and increased extremes are observed indicators of climate change.