Importance
In this principle we examine how, due to basic physics of heat trapping gases and exponential rise in population and energy consumption, humans have become a force of nature. Clearly, this is a complex topic with enormous political, socio-economic and emotional dimensions, but the scientific results show clearly that:
- Human activities, particularly the combustion of fossil fuels, are altering the climate system.
- Human-driven changes in land use and land cover such as deforestation, urbanization, and shifts in vegetation patterns also alter the climate, resulting in changes to the reflectivity of the Earth surface (albedo), emissions from burning forests, urban heat island effects and changes in the natural water cycle.
- Because the primary cause of recent global climate change is human, the solutions are also within the human domain.
- Transparency about the causes of climate change allows for effective solutions to be developed and deployed.
Source: Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network