Fact check: Can Humans Slow or Enhance Climate Change?
Climate change is an issue that is often discussed and debated. In this tweet shared with us through WhatsApp, a person claimed that humans cannot slow or enhance climate change because it is a natural phenomenon, backed up with a link. While it is true that climate change is a naturally occurring process, it is also true that human activities have had a significant impact on the climate.
Background
Scientific research has shown that the Earth’s climate has been changing since the dawn of civilization. However, since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the late 18th century, human activities have greatly accelerated the rate of climate change. This includes activities such as burning fossil fuels for energy, deforestation, and the release of large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which trap heat and contribute to global warming.
Facts
Firstly, the link backed up by the claim explains natural climate cycles that happen without human intervention, but it does not support what the claimant says.
The evidence, according to the United Nations, is clear: human activities are contributing to climate change in a significant way. Moreover, human efforts can and have helped to slow the process. Reduced carbon emissions, for example, through the use of renewable energy sources, forest preservation, and ecosystem restoration can all help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thereby slowing the rate of climate change.
Multiple scientists have shown that human activities are responsible for the majority of the warming observed in recent decades, according to Carbon Brief’s analysis. In fact, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that it is “extremely likely” that human activities have been the dominant cause of global warming since the mid-20th century.
While it is true that the Earth’s climate system is complex and there are natural factors that influence it, such as volcanic activity and changes in solar radiation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) 2021 Scientific Consensus: Earth’s Climate is Warming, shows that human activities are the primary driver of current climate change. Therefore, humans can take actions to mitigate and reverse the effects of climate change, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to renewable energy sources, and reforestation.
Verdict
Therefore, the claim that humans cannot reverse climate change because it’s a natural activity that cannot be affected by human activities is false. Human activities are the primary cause of current climate change, and humans can take action to mitigate and reverse its effects.
This fact-check was produced by the Debunk Media Initiative with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck, the International Fact-Checking Network, and the African Fact-Checking Alliance network.
