The American Association for the Advancement of Science has stated, “The scientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society.” [2]

Below are a few of the ways humans are accelerating climate change.

Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse gases play a vital role in the earth’s climate cycles. As the planet gets hit with the sun’s rays, some of the energy is absorbed, and the rest of that energy and heat gets reflected into space. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap the reflected energy, redirecting it back down to the earth and eventually contributing to global warming. Various gases play this role, including:[3]

• Water vapor
• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Methane
• Nitrous oxide
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

While some of these greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, are naturally occurring, others, such as CFCs, are synthetic. CO2 is released into the atmosphere from both natural and human-made causes and is one of the leading contributors to climate change. CO2 has been increasing at an alarming rate and has the potential to stay in the earth’s atmosphere for thousands of years unless it gets absorbed by the ocean, land, trees, and other sources. [4] However, as CO2 production has steadily risen, the earth’s natural resources to absorb it has also been diminished. This is already occurring in many ways as eath’s resources are disappearing from things like deforestation. Some studies even predict that plants and soil will be able to absorb less CO2 as the eath continues to warm—possibly accelerating climate change even further. [5]

Solar Activity

Solar activity, as mentioned above, does play a role in the earth’s climate. While the sun does go through natural cycles, increasing and decreasing the amount of energy that it emits to the earth, it is unlikely that solar activity is a major contributor to global warming or climate change. Since scientists began to measure the sun’s energy hitting our atmosphere, there has not been a measurable upward trend.[6]

Agriculture

There are many significant ways in which agriculture impacts climate change. From deforestation in places like the Amazon to the transportation and livestock that it takes to support agricultural efforts around the world, agriculture is responsible for a significant portion of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. However, agriculture is also an area that is making tremendous strides to become more sustainable. As productivity increases, less carbon is being emitted to produce more food. Agriculture also has the potential to act as a carbon sink, and could eventually absorb nearly the same amount of CO2 it emits. [7]

Deforestation

Deforestation and climate change often go hand in hand. Not only does climate change increase deforestation by way of wildfires and other extreme weather, but deforestation is also a major contributor to global warming. According to the Earth Day Network, deforestation is the second leading contributor to global greenhouse gasses. [8] Many people and organizations fighting against climate change point to reducing deforestation as one of, if not the most, important issues that must be addressed to slow or prevent climate change. [9]

Human Activity

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the most significant contributor to climate change in the United States is the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Of these factors, transportation in the form of cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes emits the largest percentage of CO2–speeding up global warming and remaining a significant cause of climate change. [10]

Livestock

While interconnected to many of the agricultural and deforestation issues we have already touched on, livestock in the form of cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry play a significant role in climate change. According to one study, “Livestock and Climate Change,” livestock around the world is responsible for 51% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.