What is climate change?
Climate change is a long-term shift in patterns of temperature, precipitation and other climate properties. The main driver of current global warming is the human-caused increase in greenhouse gases; a single day’s weather does not represent the long-term trend.
Evidence and causes
Surface and ocean temperature measurements, retreating glaciers, rising sea levels and changes in atmospheric composition are considered together. Burning fossil fuels adds long-lived carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Natural factors, including volcanoes and solar variations, affect climate too, but cannot alone explain the magnitude and pattern of recent warming. Scientists compare observations with physical models to investigate the contributions of different causes.
Impacts and options
Warming affects heat waves, rainfall patterns, sea level and ecosystems differently across regions. It is inaccurate to attribute a single storm solely to climate change; event attribution examines changes in likelihood and intensity. Reducing emissions aims to limit future warming, while adaptation addresses risks already present. Renewable energy, efficiency, land management and infrastructure planning are among the options. The scale of impacts depends on future emissions and local conditions.