Global warming is the phenomenon characterized by a long-term increase in Earth’s surface temperature. It results primarily from the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which trap heat radiating from the Earth’s surface. These gases include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and water vapor. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes, and agriculture significantly increase the concentrations of these greenhouse gases, intensifying the natural greenhouse effect. This enhanced effect causes the planet to warm, leading to changes in climate patterns, melting of ice caps, rising sea levels, and more frequent and severe weather events like cyclones, droughts, and floods. The primary driver of recent climate change is anthropogenic, or generated by human activity, which has disrupted the Earth’s energy balance and increased global temperatures since the industrial revolution. Such environmental shifts threaten ecosystems, public health, and economies worldwide, underscoring the urgent need for mitigation and adaptation measures to curtail further warming and its adverse impacts.
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