Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of the day, and its dire consequences are now beyond dispute. But who started the global warming, and why? This has been a subject of vigorous debate for many years, with the conversation shifting from political arenas to university laboratories and data centers. The reality is that global warming, or climate change as it is now widely referred to, was not caused by human activity alone, but rather the onset of this phenomenon was set in motion by a variety of complex natural and human factors.
For starters, the Earth has changed its climate before—without human interference. In the past, extended glacial periods and abrupt periods of cooling and warming have occurred in response to changes in the Earth’s orbit and varying levels of sunlight reaching the planet. This is an entirely natural, cyclical process and even today, natural fluctuations due to the Earth’s orbit and the sun’s emissions still impact climate change on Earth.
But while natural impacts can only account for part of the story, modern anthropogenic activities, such as burning fossil fuels, have had a far-reaching and lasting effect on the climate. That is, humans are now releasing a variety of long-term and short-term gases and atmospheric particles that add to the problem of climate change (Anderson, 2020). This continues to have far-reaching implications for the climate on both regional and global scales, as the extra heat generated by these human-caused pollutants, combine with naturally occurring heat that has been in the atmosphere for centuries.
It may be easy to blame all of today’s climate troubles on humans, but the reality is that human activity is just one of many factors, both natural and human, that have triggered the global warming phenomenon. This means that the mitigation process must also consider the interplay between natural and human influences. Solutions must focus on reducing emissions in order to keep global temperatures at manageable levels, while also recognizing the systemic impacts of natural events like El Niño, La Niña and volcanic eruptions.
What’s more, the complexity of the climate system means that continuing to study and analyze data is key in formulating effective global response plans that work to cool the planet while minimizing the disruption of lives and livelihoods. Developing countries and those most affected by climate change are especially in need of resources to address the challenges related to the climate crisis and the ability to develop appropriate policies and tools for forecasting, monitoring, and adapting to climate change.
The global warming issue is a multifaceted problem. It isn’t enough to simply identify who started it – instead, it is critical to uncover the underlying factors that have contributed to the warming trend today. We must work together to recognize the multiple sources of the issue, combat the human element, and ultimately, find a way to make a difference for the future of our planet.
