THE DEBATE ON CLIMATE CHANGE: NATURAL OR ANTHROPOGENIC?

Abstract

Climate refers to the average weather condition of a place or region for about 35 years. Climate change occurs over long periods of time. If the temperature of the earth gradually increases over several decades, it is called global warming, and if it decreases gradually, it is called global cooling. There is a debate about who is more responsible for climate change: nature or humans. Some scientists believe that climate change is a natural phenomenon, that is, that the joint system of the Earth and atmosphere automatically controls it. Hence, climate change has been observed in different geological eras from the distant past to the present. Most scientists believe that humans' role in climate change is undeniable. Climate change is not unusual in nature. But as a result of various human activities, such as a rapid increase in temperature, the melting of polar ice caps, a rise in sea level, an increase in the frequency of other climate disasters, including cyclones, and human vulnerability and threats, humans must take positive steps to reduce the use of fossil fuels worldwide. The Earth is presently around 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than it was in the late 1800s. The most recent decade (2011–2020) has been the warmest on record.