What causes climate change?

Climate change (global warming) is primarily driven by increased greenhouse gases (GHGs) from human activities. Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), deforestation and agriculture have raised atmospheric CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O, enhancing the natural greenhouse effect and trapping more heat. The evidence is robust: satellites, thermometers and climate models show that recent warming aligns with these GHG rises. Natural factors (volcanoes, solar cycles) cannot explain the magnitude of current warming. The IPCC and agencies like NASA agree that human influence is unequivocal – anthropogenic GHG emissions are the dominant cause of late-20th and early-21st century global temperature rise.