Are humans responsible for climate change?

Are humans driving climate change? I'll gather the latest scientific evidence to give you a definitive answer.

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

What the scientific consensus says

> "Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver." (2009)

> "Based on extensive scientific evidence, it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century. There is no alterative explanation supported by convincing evidence."

What the IPCC and NASA conclude

The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body synthesizing climate science.

The IPCC also previously concluded that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century, and it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century.

How humans are causing it

Natural vs. Human causes

Earth's climate has naturally changed throughout history. For example, in the last 800,000 years, there have been eight cycles of ice ages and warmer periods, most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth's orbit.

However, scientists know that recent climate change is largely caused by human activities from an understanding of basic physics, comparing observations with models, and fingerprinting the detailed patterns of climate change caused by different human and natural influences, and current warming is occurring roughly 10 times faster than the average rate of warming after an ice age.

In short, while natural variability exists, multiple lines of evidence indicate that human influences have had an increasingly dominant effect on global climate warming observed since the mid-twentieth century, primarily through greenhouse gas emissions.