Climate Facts
The science of climate change can be complicated. But the facts tell a clear story. Here’s how you can explain it easily.
Scientists are certain.
For more than 30 years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has gathered the latest research and expertise from thousands of leading climate scientists. In that time, the message has become ever more clear: Climate change is real and happening right now, humans are causing it, and the consequences are extremely serious.
The climate is changing.
The average global temperature has already increased about 1.2°C (2.1ºF) since 1850. A hotter planet causes different impacts in different places, such as rising sea levels, heat waves, or droughts. But global warming can also increase water vapor in the atmosphere, which leads to heavy rain and snowstorms occurring more frequently.
It’s us.
Scientists are sure about why our planet’s climate is changing: It’s us. Human activities such as industry, energy production, agriculture, and transport greatly amplify the natural greenhouse gas effect — a process where certain gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and warm the planet. Carbon dioxide (CO2), the greenhouse gas responsible for most of this warming, is released when we burn fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.
It’s serious.
Earth is on average 1.2ºC (2.1ºF) warmer than in 1850. That might seem like a small rise, but it’s already had major impacts, including lower crop yields, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather such as heat waves, wildfires, and flooding. The IPCC warns that if we reach or exceed 2ºC (3.6ºF) of warming, even more devastating economic, social, and political effects will occur.
There are solutions.
To limit climate change, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eventually reach “net-zero,” meaning that we reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as we generate them, so we’re not adding any more to the Earth’s atmosphere. And we already know what to do. Solutions to cut emissions are everywhere, including in nature, energy, agriculture, and transportation. But we need to do more and do it faster.
Where the facts come from
For more information on these climate facts visit the
