Ancient volcanoes released gas over millions of years<\/a>, slowly warming the planet. Small changes in the Earth\u2019s orbit<\/a> triggered Ice Ages that took tens of thousands of years to build up and melt away.<\/p>\n\n The climate changes we\u2019re seeing today are very different.<\/p>\n\n Natural climate shifts normally take a long time \u2013 thousands or even millions of years<\/a>. The warming we\u2019re seeing now is moving much more quickly. It\u2019s happening over decades<\/a>. 99<\/strong><\/a>% of climate scientists around the world agree. Today\u2019s climate change isn\u2019t part of any natural cycle. It\u2019s caused by humans.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n The problems started during the Industrial Revolution, which lasted from around 1760 to 1890. That\u2019s when humans began burning fossil fuels to power factories, trains, and later, cars and homes. Burning these fuels releases greenhouse gases that trap heat from the sun inside of them and warm the planet.<\/p>\n\n Carbon dioxide is one of the main greenhouse gases. Today, human activities pump out about 100 times more<\/a> carbon dioxide each year than all the world\u2019s volcanoes combined.<\/p>\n\n Scientists have dug deep to understand this. Literally! By studying layers of ice, mud, and sand, as well as tree rings, they\u2019ve tracked greenhouse gas levels over millions of years. What they\u2019ve found is alarming. <\/p>\n\n Carbon dioxide levels are now the highest they\u2019ve been in at least 2 million years<\/a>. Methane and nitrous oxide \u2013 two other powerful greenhouse gases \u2013 are also at their highest in 800,000 years<\/a>. For the past 10,000 years or so, the climate was pretty stable. That stability gave humans the chance to farm, build cities, and create the world we live in today.<\/p>\n\n But now the climate is changing so quickly that it\u2019s hard for nature and animals (including us humans!) to keep up. <\/strong>Seas are rising, swallowing up coastlines and islands where people live. Floods and wildfires are destroying the homes of people and animals more often. Heatwaves and droughts are putting our health at risk and making it harder to grow food. And scientists are warning that one million species<\/a> are at risk of extinction. <\/p>\n\n It\u2019s hard to accept that we\u2019ve caused such a serious problem, but it\u2019s also in our power to change course. We can demand stronger climate laws, support Indigenous land and water protectors, and push governments to shift from fossil fuels to clean energy, like wind and solar. The science is clear, and the moment to act is now.<\/p>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/07\/27adeeb8-gp03t60_pressmedia-2500px-min-683x1024.jpg\")
Today\u2019s warming is fast and furious<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
The Earth is heating up about 10 times faster<\/a> than it does after an Ice Age. In just the last 200 years, average temperatures have climbed by 1.1 \u00b0C<\/a>,\u00a0and they\u2019re still rising.<\/p>\n\nHumans lit the match<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
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We\u2019ve changed the chemistry of the atmosphere in a couple of centuries. In response, the planet is heating up fast.<\/strong><\/p>\n\nWhat\u2019s the big deal?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
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