Global warming

Global warming is the long-term rise in Earth’s average surface temperature, driven mainly since the industrial era by human greenhouse-gas emissions.

Greenhouse effect: The warming that occurs when atmospheric gases absorb and re-emit outgoing infrared radiation. Rising greenhouse-gas concentrations strengthen this natural heat-trapping process.
Svante Arrhenius: A Swedish chemist who calculated in 1896 how changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide could alter Earth’s temperature. His early estimate connected fossil-fuel emissions with possible global warming.
Global surface temperature record: A reconstruction of changes in Earth’s average near-surface air and ocean temperatures over time. It is the central observational measure of global warming.
Climate change: Long-term changes in climate patterns, including temperature, precipitation, and extreme events. Global warming is one component of this broader set of changes.
Radiative forcing: A change in Earth’s energy balance caused by factors such as greenhouse gases, aerosols, or solar variation. It quantifies how emissions push the climate system toward warming.
Charles David Keeling: An American scientist whose measurements revealed the continuing rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The Keeling Curve made the human-driven increase visible in direct observations.
Climate model: A mathematical representation of climate processes used to simulate past conditions and project future changes. Models estimate future warming under different emissions and policy pathways.
Global cooling: A sustained decline in Earth’s average surface temperature over a long period. It is the opposite temperature trend, not a description of current global change.
Carbon dioxide: A heat-trapping atmospheric gas emitted by fossil-fuel burning, cement production, and land-use change. Its persistent accumulation is the largest driver of human-caused warming.
Keeling Curve: A record of atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa since 1958, showing a persistent rise and seasonal cycle. Its long-term climb tracks the accumulation of a major warming agent.

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