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Is climate change due to human burning of fossil fuels
Executive summary
Major scientific bodies and peer‑reviewed research conclude that burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of the recent rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases and the dominant cause of modern global warming: fossil fuels account for roughly 75–90% of carbon dioxide or human greenhouse emissions cited by United Nations, UC Berkeley review, and other agencies [1] [2] [3]. The IPCC and national agencies state human activities—chiefly fossil fuel combustion for energy, heat, and transport—are the main cause of the warming since the mid‑20th century [4] [5] [6].
1. The basic mechanism: how burning fossil fuels warms the planet
When coal, oil and natural gas are burned they release large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases; these gases “blanket” the Earth and trap incoming solar heat, strengthening the greenhouse effect and raising global temperatures (United Nations; NASA) [1] [6]. Carbon cycle studies show that much of the CO2 emitted by fossil fuel burning accumulates in the atmosphere because natural sinks remove only about half of annual emissions, so atmospheric CO2 keeps rising as emissions continue (NOAA) [3].
2. The weight of scientific consensus: emissions from fossil fuels are the dominant cause
Major scientific assessments — including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (cited by ClientEarth and other groups) — conclude fossil fuel emissions are the dominant cause of recent global warming [4]. U.S. and international agencies state it is “extremely likely (>95%)” that human activities are the dominant cause of warming since the 1950s, with burning fossil fuels changing the climate more than any other human activity [5] [7].
3. Quantities matter: fossil fuels drive most human CO2 and emissions trends
Organizations report that fossil fuels are responsible for the vast majority of human‑caused CO2: UN pages and UC Berkeley cite figures in the 75–90% range of greenhouse or CO2 emissions attributable to fossil fuels, and global inventories show fossil CO2 emissions have reached record highs in recent years [1] [2] [8] [3]. In the U.S., burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat and transport is the largest source of greenhouse gases [7].
4. Attribution vs natural variability: why scientists don’t blame only nature
Scientists reconstruct past climates from ice cores, tree rings and sediments and find natural drivers (solar variation, volcanic eruptions, orbital cycles) explain historical climate change but cannot account for the rapid warming observed since mid‑20th century. The increase in greenhouse gases from human activities—chiefly fossil fuel burning—matches the magnitude and timing of modern warming [5] [6].
5. Project‑level and cumulative impacts: every tonne adds up
Recent research quantifies how emissions from individual fossil fuel projects translate into measurable additional warming and societal impacts: the relationship between cumulative CO2 and global temperature (TCRE) means every additional tonne of CO2 contributes to more warming and to downstream harms like heat exposure and shifts in habitability [9]. Academic reviews frame fossil fuels and the fossil fuel industry as the root cause of the climate crisis and related harms [10].
6. Counterclaims and context: what the reviewed sources note about other contributors
While the sources consistently identify fossil fuel combustion as the primary modern driver, they also note other human activities contribute: land‑use change (deforestation), agriculture (methane from livestock, fertilizer nitrous oxide), and biomass burning add significant greenhouse gases [1] [11]. The United Nations and other pages explicitly say human activities overall are the main driver since the 1800s, with fossil fuels the largest single contributor [12].
7. Policy and public‑health framing: why this attribution matters
Several reviews and public‑health analyses link fossil fuel emissions to not only climate impacts but also air pollution, public health harms, and environmental injustice; they call for phasing out fossil fuel expansion to limit damages [2] [10]. Agencies emphasize that switching energy systems toward renewables would reduce the emissions driving climate change [12].
8. Limits of these sources and remaining questions
The provided reporting is unanimous that fossil fuels are the dominant modern driver, but the sources also show nuance: other greenhouse gases and land‑use changes contribute; aerosol particles from combustion can exert short‑term cooling; and regional climate impacts vary in magnitude [13] [6]. Available sources do not mention political debates about responsibility beyond noting fossil fuel industry historic conduct in some reviews [11].
Bottom line: authoritative scientific assessments and peer‑reviewed research in the provided sources attribute modern climate change primarily to human burning of fossil fuels, with fossil CO2 accounting for the largest share of human‑caused greenhouse emissions and every tonne of continued emissions adding to future warming [1] [4] [3] [9].