Are humans responsible for climate change?

Yes

I'll gather the latest scientific evidence to address whether humans are responsible for climate change.

Yes, according to the overwhelming scientific consensus, humans are responsible for modern climate change.

Scientific Consensus is Overwhelming

•The vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists – 97 percent – agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.

•Similarly, NASA states: Yes, the vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists – 97 percent – agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.

•Surveys of the literature show the same result: Nearly all actively publishing climate scientists say humans are causing climate change.

•A 2019 review of scientific papers found the consensus on the cause of climate change to be at 100%, and a 2021 study concluded that over 99% of scientific papers agree on the human cause of climate change.

What The Leading Scientific Bodies Say

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

•NASA also explains: “On Earth, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse,”

•The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report stated that human activities, principally through ... emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming, with global surface temperature reaching 1.1°C above 1850–1900 in 2011–2020.

•The report states as fact – that is, with no calibrated language – that “human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming”.

•The Carbon Brief summary of the IPCC AR6: The authors conclude that it is “unequivocal” that humans have warmed the planet, causing “widespread and rapid” changes to Earth’s oceans, ice and land surface.

How Humans Are Causing It

Human activities amplify the natural greenhouse effect:

•Human-made emissions in the atmosphere, rapid, unsustainable deforestation, and the increases in non-reflective surfaces, like asphalt, are all examples of human activities amplifying the greenhouse effect, trapping and slowing heat loss to space.

•The combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas for electricity, heat, and transportation is the single largest source of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Direct observations confirm the mechanism:

•Climate modelling predicts that human activities are causing the release of greenhouse gases and aerosols that are affecting Earth’s energy budget. Now, a NASA study has confirmed these predictions with direct observations for the first time: radiative forcings are increasing due to human actions

•“It’s direct evidence that human activities are causing changes to Earth’s energy budget.”

Are Natural Factors Also Responsible?

Natural processes can also contribute to climate change, including internal variability (e.g., cyclical ocean patterns like El, and solar and volcanic activity, but scientists have concluded with a high degree of certainty that the dominant cause of warming is human-produced greenhouse gases produced by humans becoming trapped in the atmosphere.

Since systematic scientific assessments began in the 1970s, the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theory to established fact.

In short, while climate has changed naturally in the past, the warming observed since the mid-20th century is driven principally by human emissions of greenhouse gases.

Citations (2)

1nasa.govGovernment
Climate Change - NASA Science
Backs: “What The Leading Scientific Bodies Say. NASA: There is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate.”
attribution, article, points to yes. Claim: NASA states there is unequivocal evidence Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate and human activity is the principal cause.
2carbonbrief.orgNews and mediaquality 0.85
In-depth Q&A: The IPCC’s sixth assessment report on climate science
Backs: “The report states as fact – that is, with no calibrated language – that “human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming”. The Carbon Brief summary of the IPCC AR6: The authors conclude that it is “unequivocal” that humans have warmed the planet, causing…”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: IPCC AR6 states human activities, principally greenhouse gas emissions, have unequivocally caused global warming, per Carbon Brief's summary.