The Climate Has Always Changed: Does That Disprove Human-Caused Warming?

If Earth warmed and cooled before factories and cars existed, why do scientists blame humans now? The puzzle comes from treating every climate change as if it had the same cause. This section separates climate from weather and introduces climate attribution: the evidence-based assessment of which influences best explain a particular change. Natural influences still exist, but the central question is which influence is mainly driving today’s long-term global warming.