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A really simple guide to climate change
Human activities, particularly burning coal, oil and gas, are driving rapid global warming and changing weather patterns. The article explains that climate change is already increasing extreme heat and other damaging impacts, while urgent action could still limit the worst consequences.
Each decade since the 1980s has been warmer than the one before it, and 2024 was the hottest year on record, briefly exceeding 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Fossil fuel use has raised atmospheric carbon dioxide by more than 50% since the Industrial Revolution; further warming could worsen risks to food security, health and wildlife, and may push vulnerable parts of the climate system past irreversible tipping points.
In short
- Human activity is the main cause of rapid global warming.
- 2024 was the hottest year on record.
- Limiting warming could reduce severe and lasting harm.
Explained simply
Climate change means long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. The main cause of the rapid warming seen today is human activity, especially burning coal, oil and gas, which releases gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.
Governments, businesses and communities all influence how much fossil fuel is used and how quickly cleaner energy is adopted. The changes matter because rising temperatures can increase risks to people’s health, food supplies and wildlife, while some parts of the climate system may be difficult to restore once changed.
The amount of future warming depends in part on how quickly emissions are reduced. Cutting them can limit further warming and reduce the risk of the most damaging effects.