Climate change

An increase in average global temperature is a major cause of wider climate change. As the atmosphere and oceans warm, patterns of rainfall, winds and extreme weather can change. The effects are described as potential because their size, timing and location depend on future greenhouse-gas emissions, natural variation and how different parts of the climate system interact.

The claim being evaluated is that human activity is causing climate change.

Correlation alone is insufficient, but the combustion mechanism, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide, temperature observations and other independent evidence together strongly support an additional human contribution to recent climate change. The precise size of individual influences and future changes is less certain.

Climate change therefore includes altered rainfall, shifting seasons and changing patterns of extreme weather as well as warming.