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Related Concept Videos

Global Climate Change01:50

Global Climate Change

Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
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Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
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Threats to Biodiversity01:50

Threats to Biodiversity

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Recent global warming: an artifact of a too-short temperature record?

Ambio·2005
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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
06:10

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

Recent changes in the climate: natural or forced by human activity?

Wibjörn Karlén1

  • 1Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Sweden. wibjorn.karlen@kultgeog.uu.se

Ambio
|February 12, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Recent climate data suggest that the warming over the past century may not be unique. Long-term climate records indicate significant past global climate shifts, prompting a reevaluation of current climatic changes.

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Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
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Published on: October 28, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Climatology
  • Paleoclimatology
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Societal need for shared threats, with climate change potentially filling this role.
  • Growing focus on anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions as the primary driver of recent climate change.
  • Emerging data necessitate a reevaluation of the causes of recent climatic shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reevaluate the causes of recent climatic changes in light of new data.
  • To assess the uniqueness of the past 100 years of warming.
  • To distinguish between climate trends and natural variability.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Greenland ice core data for long-term climate records.
  • Integration of multiple climate data series for comprehensive study.
  • Application of new dating techniques to climate proxy data.

Main Results:

  • Long-term climate records reveal numerous large-scale past climate changes.
  • Greenland ice cores provide well-dated climate information over extended periods.
  • The warming observed in the last 100 years is not necessarily unique in Earth's history.

Conclusions:

  • Recent climatic changes may not be solely attributable to human activity.
  • Distinguishing climate trends from variability requires long-term data analysis.
  • Past climate data suggest that significant global climate shifts have occurred naturally throughout history.