Our Warming Planet: The Science of Climate Change

Human activities have added approximately 2,040 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere since 1750, driving global warming and disrupting Earth’s climate system. This pathway examines the scientific evidence for climate change, the carbon cycle, greenhouse gases, ocean-atmosphere interactions, climate impacts, and strategies for mitigation and adaptation. It provides a comprehensive overview of how Earth’s interconnected systems regulate climate and how human activities are altering those processes.

Related resources

• Signs of Change: Climate Impacts in Satellite View
• Climate Change in New York City
• Mapping Change: Where Is Climate Change Most Dramatic?
• What's Causing Climate Change?
• Greenhouse Effect
• Weather or Climate Quiz
• Air and Ocean Currents

Topics

• climate change
• global warming
• carbon dioxide
• greenhouse gases
• carbon cycle
• climate system
• Earth systems
• atmosphere
• hydrosphere
• biosphere
• lithosphere
• cryosphere
• ocean currents
• atmospheric circulation
• sea-level rise
• Arctic warming
• fossil fuels
• renewable energy
• climate adaptation
• climate mitigation
• extreme weather
• heat waves
• drought
• flooding
• greenhouse effect
• carbon reservoirs
• climate data
• temperature records
• environmental monitoring
• solar energy
• weather vs climate
• Earth energy balance
• sustainability
• climate risk