Global warming is the long-term, human-driven increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature. Caused primarily by fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, these activities release excess greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. The planet is currently about 1.42°C warmer than during the pre-industrial era.
The primary drivers include greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and industrial and agricultural activities. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide trap radiated heat from the Earth’s surface. Global emissions reached a record high of 57.7 gigatonnes. Cutting down trees diminishes the planet’s natural capacity to absorb and store carbon dioxide. Land clearing, waste, and specific agricultural processes release massive amounts of warming gases.
Rising global temperatures have wide-ranging impacts across the environment, ecosystems, and human activity. Extreme weather patterns are becoming more common. Warmer atmospheric conditions fuel more frequent and intense heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires. Melting and rising seas are another major concern. Glaciers and polar ice are melting rapidly, contributing to global sea-level rise. Low-lying countries like the Maldives and Bangladesh face the risk of being submerged.
The ocean also absorbs about 90% of excess atmospheric heat. Another observable phenomenon is ecosystem stress. Habitats are shifting and degrading. For instance, higher ocean temperatures and acidification are critically threatening marine ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef.
To mitigate the worst impacts, the international community is working to drastically reduce emissions. The Paris Climate Agreement, adopted by 195 countries, aims to keep long-term global temperatures well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while actively pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C.
Global warming is a reality. Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that Earth’s average surface temperature has increased significantly since the late 19th century, and the primary driver since the mid-20th century has been human activity. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are higher than at any point in at least hundreds of thousands of years.
Multiple independent observations support warming, including rising air and ocean temperatures, melting glaciers and ice sheets, declining Arctic sea ice, rising sea levels, and changes in ecosystems and species distributions.
Why do some people call it a myth?
- Some misunderstand the difference between short-term weather and long-term climate trends.
- Climate science involves uncertainties about the exact magnitude and timing of future impacts, which can be mistaken for uncertainty about whether warming is occurring.
- Political, economic, and ideological debates sometimes influence public discussions of climate change.
A useful distinction is:
- Whether global warming is happening: supported by extensive evidence and accepted by the vast majority of climate scientists.
- Exactly how severe its future effects will be, and what policies should be adopted: these remain subjects of ongoing research and public debate.
So, based on current scientific evidence, global warming is not considered a myth; it is a well-established physical phenomenon.
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