Present-day climate change, encompassing global warming and its extensive effects, is primarily driven by human activities like fossil fuel burning since the Industrial Revolution. This has led to a 50% increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide since the pre-industrial era, to levels not seen for millions of years. The impacts are severe, causing expanding deserts, more intense heat waves and wildfires, amplified Arctic warming, and extreme weather events, while threatening many species with relocation or extinction. For humanity, climate change poses critical risks including increased flooding, food and water scarcity, disease, and economic loss, with the World Health Organization calling it one of the biggest global health threats of the 21st century.
With 2024 marking the warmest year on record at +1.60 °C since regular tracking began in 1850, the urgency is clear. Despite the 2015 Paris Agreement's goal to keep warming "well under 2 °C," current pledges suggest a rise closer to 2.8 °C by century's end. Addressing this global challenge requires phasing out fossil fuels, investing in clean energy sources like wind and solar, and implementing carbon removal strategies such as increasing forest cover.