Global warming is the long-term increase in Earth’s surface temperatures. This is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mainly from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. These gases act like a blanket, trapping the sun’s heat and preventing it from escaping into space. This is called the greenhouse effect and it is a natural process, but the concentration of these gases has increased rapidly over the past 200 years, primarily because of human activities.
According to the latest scientific evidence, Earth is currently experiencing rapid and unprecedented climate change. Global temperatures are rising and the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is increasing. Arctic summer sea ice has shrunk dramatically, and melting polar ice caps are raising global sea levels. The frequency, intensity and duration of extreme weather events (ETEs) is also increasing. This includes heatwaves, storms and droughts.
The climate change crisis affects all people and regions of the world. But it is especially damaging for indigenous communities, people of color and the economically marginalized who tend to be hit first and hardest by the negative effects of climate change. This is due to the environmental racism embedded in our housing, health care and employment systems that result in these groups contributing the least to climate change.
Scientists estimate that if human greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise in the same way as they have over the past century, and do not decrease significantly by 2050, then the world will be much warmer than it has been for at least the last 1,000 years, possibly as much as 10.2 degrees Fahrenheit. This is based on models that use the principles of physics and the latest understanding of the physical, chemical and biological processes that influence our climate system. These models also take into account feedbacks, which amplify or diminish the initial warming.
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