- Atmospheric CO2 level in parts per million (ppm)
- Average global temperature in °C
Data source: NASA 2015
Global warming is reality. Only resolute action can prevent a climate catastrophe
Myth
The greenhouse effect and global warming are not anthropogenic. The climate has always changed.
Facts
Science has never been more certain about the causes and threats of climate change: Climate-warming trends over the past century are mainly due to human activity.
The rapid change of our climate
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration has reached an all-time high
Warnings from Nobel Prize winners, alarming analyses from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and more than 97 per cent of studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activity. The threats of global warming are not a matter of belief, but of growing evidence.
Global warming is already showing a significant impact. In the past 400,000 years, atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and average global temperatures have risen and fallen roughly in tandem. However, since the industrial revolution these two factors have increased at an unprecedented rate. The observed temperature increases are ten times higher than the natural “leaps in temperature”. At 400 parts per million, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached an all-time high in 2015. Responsible and rapid action is necessary to limit global warming to 2 °C compared to the pre-industrial temperature level.
