Is climate change real?

Is climate change real? I'll pull the latest scientific evidence to give you a grounded answer.

Yes — climate change is real, and there is unequivocal evidence that it is happening and that human activity is the principal cause.

What the science says

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

> A strong, credible body of scientific evidence shows that climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems

> There is overwhelming scientific evidence that the Earth is warming and that human activities, especially the emission of greenhouse gases, are the primary cause

Multiple independent lines of evidence support this conclusion:

•Scientific evidence continues to show that human activities (primarily the human burning of fossil fuels) have warmed Earth’s surface and its ocean basins

•Direct satellite observations have confirmed that human activities are causing changes in the Earth's energy balance and ultimately causing climate change

•Evidence cited by NASA and others includes global temperature rising, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, glacial retreat, decreased snow cover, sea level rises, extreme weather events and ocean acidification

Specific measurements include:

•Global temperature change since the late 19th century: about +2°F (~+1°C)

•Sea level rise rate: about 0.17 in/year (4.4 mm/year) - global average sea level has risen more than 7 inches in the past 100 years

•Ice sheet mass loss: Greenland ~266 billion tons/year; Antarctica ~135 billion tons/year

•Antarctica is losing ice mass at an average rate of about 135 billion tons per year, and Greenland is losing about 266 billion tons per year

Scientific Consensus

> The overwhelming majority of climate scientists agree that climate change is real and primarily caused by human activities

This consensus is based on extensive scientific evidence and is recognized by governments and scientific organizations worldwide, and is based on over a century of scientific evidence.

Most commonly cited figures are ~97% among publishing climate experts, and literature-only analyses have found agreement exceeding 99%.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which synthesizes assessments from thousands of scientists and is approved by 195 member countries, has stated:

> it is unequivocal that human activity is causing climate change, is the strongest statement that the IPCC has ever made

•The IPCC says there is 95 percent certainty that humans have caused most of the warming of the planet's surface that has occurred since the 1950s

•It is extremely likely (95-100% probability) that most of the warming since 1950 has been due to human influence

•Human influence on the climate system is clear, and recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history

In short, while scientific debate continues about precise future impacts and best policy responses, the fact that climate change is real, measurable, and largely human-caused is not scientifically disputed in the mainstream peer-reviewed literature.

Citations (1)

1nasa.govGovernment
Climate Change - NASA Science
Backs: “What the science says. There is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate.”