Global warming refers to the long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. This releases greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) into the atmosphere, trapping heat and causing the planet to warm.
Key Causes of Global Warming:
Burning Fossil Fuels – Power plants, cars, and industries release large amounts of CO₂.
Deforestation – Trees absorb CO₂, so cutting them down reduces Earth's ability to balance carbon levels.
Agriculture – Livestock farming produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Industrial Processes – Factories release heat-trapping gases like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitrous oxides.
Effects of Global Warming:
Rising Temperatures – Earth has warmed by about 1.2°C (2.2°F) since the late 19th century.
More Extreme Weather – Increased heatwaves, storms, droughts, and wildfires.
Melting Ice & Rising Sea Levels – Glaciers and polar ice caps are melting, causing coastal flooding.
Ecosystem Disruptions – Coral reefs are dying, species are shifting habitats, and biodiversity is declining.
Health Risks – Increased heat-related illnesses, spread of diseases, and food & water shortages.
What Can Be Done?
Transition to renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro).
Increase energy efficiency in homes and industries.
Reduce deforestation and promote reforestation.
Adopt sustainable agriculture and reduce waste.
Would you like more details on a specific aspect of global warming?Since the Industrial Revolution, the global annual temperature has increased in total by a little more than 1 degree Celsius, or about 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Between 1850—the year that accurate recordkeeping began—and 1980, it rose on average by 0.07 degrees Celsius (0.13 degrees Fahrenheit) every 10 years. Since 1981, however, the rate of increase has more than doubled: For the last 40 years, we’ve seen the global annual temperature rise by 0.2 degrees Celsius, or 0.36 degrees Fahrenheit, per decade.The result? A planet that has never been hotter. The 10 most recent years are the warmest years on record. And the warmer it gets, the more probable it becomes that we trigger climate tipping points (such as rapid glacier melt or thawing permafrost) that can transform natural systems into entirely different states and lead to more warming. In 2015, the Paris Agreement codified the recommendation of climate scientists to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Working toward that goal continues to give us our best chance to stave off the worst, most devastating effects of climate change: the extreme droughts, wildfires, floods, tropical storms, and other disasters that are so widespread and costly to both our infrastructure and our health.
Global warming results from the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere. This trapped energy comes from incoming solar radiation absorbed by the earth’s surface and re-radiated back into the atmosphere as infrared energy. Though natural cycles and fluctuations have caused the planet's climate to change continually over the last 800,000 years, it is human activity that has driven our current era of global warming. In particular, our burning of fossil fuels—such as coal, oil, gasoline, and natural gas—has led to the greenhouse effect. In the United States, the largest source of greenhouse gases is transportation, followed closely by electricity production and industrial activity. (Learn about the natural and human causes of climate change.)To support global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the United States now faces the monumental (yet achievable) task of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero no later than 2050. We must also fulfill our commitments to help developing nations meet their climate goals—a responsibility that we (and other rich, polluting nations) are currently falling short on. In better news, at the most recent United Nations climate convention, countries agreed to work toward scaling up climate finance to developing countries to at least $1.3 trillion per year by 2035.Global warming intensifies extreme weather events by altering climate systems in several key ways:
Hotter Temperatures – Rising global temperatures increase the likelihood of heatwaves, making them more frequent, intense, and prolonged.
Stronger Storms – Warmer oceans fuel hurricanes and typhoons, making them stronger and more destructive due to increased evaporation and moisture in the atmosphere.
Heavier Rainfall & Flooding – Warmer air holds more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall and flooding events.
Drought & Wildfires – Higher temperatures speed up evaporation, drying out soil and vegetation, increasing the risk of droughts and wildfires.
Melting Ice & Rising Sea Levels – Melting glaciers and polar ice caps contribute to rising sea levels, making coastal flooding and storm surges more severe.
Changes in Jet Streams & Weather Patterns – Global warming disrupts atmospheric circulation, causing unusual weather patterns like prolonged cold spells, shifting monsoons, and unpredictable weather extremes.
The overall effect is that climate change makes extreme weather more frequent, intense, and unpredictable. Would you like examples of recent extreme weather events linked to global warming?Recent years have seen a significant increase in extreme weather events, many of which are linked to global warming. Notable examples include:
Record-Breaking Heatwaves:
Asia (2023): Countries like Vietnam, Thailand, India, China, and Bangladesh experienced unprecedented temperatures, with Vietnam reaching 44.2°C and Beijing enduring 27 consecutive days above 35°C.
Bangladesh (2024): Temperatures soared up to 42°C, leading to nationwide school closures affecting approximately 33 million children.
Devastating Wildfires:
Maui, Hawaii (2023): Wildfires resulted in over 115 fatalities and destroyed more than 2,200 buildings, marking one of the deadliest wildfire events in Hawaii's history.
Chile (2023): Wildfires burned vast areas, including 210,000 hectares in Victoria and 100,000 hectares in Tasmania, leading to significant displacement and property loss.
Severe Flooding:
Global (2024): Floods affected over 45 countries, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths, displacing millions, and causing billions in damages.
Copenhagen, Denmark (2025): The city implemented infrastructure changes to manage extreme rainfall, including repurposing public spaces to function as reservoirs during heavy downpours.
Intensified Storms:
Ireland (2025): Storm Eowyn caused widespread devastation, leading to power outages for approximately 768,000 people and damages estimated at €234 million.
California, USA (2025): The state is deploying AI-powered satellites to better predict and manage wildfires, which have become more frequent and severe due to climate change.
What can we do to slow or stop global warming?
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to stopping or slowing global warming, and each individual, business, municipal, state, tribal, and federal entity must weigh their options in light of their own unique set of circumstances. Experts say it is likely many strategies working together will be needed. Generally speaking, here are some examples of mitigation strategies we can use to slow or stop the human-caused global warming (learn more):
Where possible, we can switch to renewable sources of energy (such as solar and wind energy) to power our homes and buildings, thus emitting far less heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.
Where feasible, we can drive electric vehicles instead of those that burn fossil fuels; or we can use mass transit instead of driving our own cars.
Where affordable, we can conserve energy by better insulating our homes and buildings, and by replacing old, failing appliances with more energy-efficient models.
Where practicable, we can counterbalance our annual carbon dioxide emissions by investing in commercial services that draw down an equal amount of carbon out of the atmosphere, such as through planting trees or carbon capture and storage techniques.
Where practical, we can support more local businesses that use and promote sustainable, climate-smart practices such as those listed above.
We can consider placing an upper limit on the amount of carbon dioxide we will allow ourselves to emit into the atmosphere within a given timeframe.
Note that NOAA doesn’t advocate for or against particular climate policies. Instead, NOAA’s role is to provide data and scientific information about climate, including how it has changed and is likely to change in the future depending on different climate policies or actions society may or may not take. More guidance on courses of action can be found in the National Academy of Sciences' 2010 report, titled Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change. Stabilizing global temperature near its current level requires eliminating all emissions of heat-trapping gases or, equivalently, achieving a carbon-neutral society in which people remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as they emit. Achieving this goal will require substantial societal changes in energy technologies and infrastructure that go beyond the collective actions of individuals and households to reduce emissions.
