The world is on fire by Salvatore Baglieri
How Humans Are Causing Climate Change
“The primary driver of global warming is the human emission of greenhouse gases,” says Dr Noah Diffenbaugh, Professor of Earth Systems Science at Stanford University and head of the Climate and Earth Systems Dynamics Group, a research group focused on how the climate system affects people and ecosystems.
Greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere using fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, natural gas, and oil. The combustion of nonrenewable fossil fuels creates much of the energy we use to warm our homes, run our cars, and clean our water.
We all benefit from modern energy sources. But the side effects of greenhouse gas emissions are temperature swings. These temperature differences cause extreme weather events—heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and tropical storms—and create favourable conditions for wildfires.
“We know from careful, objective, hypothesis-driven research that about half of that increase in area burned is attributable to global warming,” says Dr Diffenbaugh.
The scientific evidence supports that climate change is happening and actively contributes to these massive wildfires. For scientists, there is no belief in climate change. It’s a proven fact.
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