Nasa's Climate Change Claims: Fossil Fuels Not Guilty?

In 2019, a blog post falsely claimed that NASA had admitted climate change is caused by the Earth's orbit around the sun, not human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels. This claim was picked up and shared widely on social media, including by radio personality Hal Turner. However, NASA has never made such a statement, and the agency agrees with the scientific consensus that climate change is driven by greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity. The NASA website clearly states that human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, are contributing to climate change. Furthermore, NASA data shows that the warming temperatures far outpace the amount of energy from the sun received by the Earth, providing evidence that human activity is the primary cause of climate change.

NASA has not admitted climate change is unrelated to fossil fuels

NASA has not admitted that climate change is unrelated to fossil fuels. In fact, the NASA website explicitly states that human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, are contributing to climate change.

A spokesperson for NASA confirmed to the Associated Press that the agency agrees with the scientific consensus that climate change is driven by greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity. The NASA website states that:

> On Earth, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Over the last century, the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).

NASA's position is supported by multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, which show that 97% or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends are extremely likely due to human activities.

The claim that NASA has admitted climate change is unrelated to fossil fuels appears to stem from a blog post and social media posts that began circulating in 2019. These posts falsely asserted that NASA had determined that climate change is caused by changes in the Earth's solar orbit and axial tilt, rather than human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. However, NASA has reached no such conclusion, and the information in these posts has been confirmed to be inaccurate by a NASA spokesperson.

In summary, NASA has not admitted that climate change is unrelated to fossil fuels. The scientific consensus, supported by NASA, is that climate change is driven by human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels.

NASA agrees with the scientific consensus that climate change is driven by human activity

> On Earth, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Over the last century, the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) […] To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities has increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.

NASA also affirms that the scientific consensus is that humans contribute to climate change:

> Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities.

NASA further explains that while the sun can influence the Earth's climate, it is not responsible for the warming trend observed over the past few decades:

> The Sun can influence the Earth’s climate, but it isn’t responsible for the warming trend we’ve seen over the past few decades.

NASA's position is clear: human activity, specifically the burning of fossil fuels, is the primary cause of climate change. This is supported by data collected from various sources, including ice cores, rocks, tree rings, and modern equipment such as satellites and instruments, all of which show the signs of a changing climate.

Furthermore, NASA refutes the claim that climate change is solely due to changes in the Earth's solar orbit or axial tilt, as stated in the Milankovitch theory. While these cycles have played an important role in climatic changes throughout Earth's history, they do not account for the current period of rapid warming. NASA explains:

> We know subtle changes in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun are responsible for the comings and goings of the ice ages. But the warming we’ve seen over the last few decades is too rapid to be linked to changes in Earth’s orbit, and too large to be caused by solar activity.

NASA's data and research unequivocally support the conclusion that human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, is the primary driver of climate change.

NASA states that human activity is the principal cause of climate change

NASA has stated that human activity is the principal cause of climate change. The scientific consensus is that human activities are causing climate change. NASA's website states that human activities are changing the natural greenhouse effect on Earth. The burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).

NASA's Earth-orbiting satellites and new technologies have helped scientists see the bigger picture by collecting many different types of information about the planet and its climate. These data, collected over many years, reveal the signs and patterns of a changing climate.

According to NASA, the current warming trend is different because it is clearly the result of human activities since the mid-1800s and is proceeding at a rate unseen over the last 10,000 years. It is undeniable that human activities have produced the atmospheric gases that have trapped more of the Sun's energy in the Earth system. This extra energy has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land, and widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and biosphere have occurred.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that "since systematic scientific assessments began in the 1970s, the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theory to established fact." NASA also states that the scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal.

The effects of human-caused global warming are happening now, are irreversible for people alive today, and will worsen as long as humans continue to add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

NASA's website clearly states that humans are causing climate change

NASA has not admitted that climate change is not caused by fossil fuels. In fact, NASA's website clearly states that humans are causing climate change.

According to NASA, human activity is the principal cause of the current unprecedented rate of global warming. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) over the last century. This has led to the expansion of the "greenhouse effect," where the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth.

NASA's website provides evidence that human activities are responsible for climate change:

• Scientific information from natural sources like ice cores, rocks, and tree rings, as well as modern equipment like satellites, all indicate a changing climate.
• Ice cores from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that the Earth's climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels.
• Ancient evidence from tree rings, ocean sediments, coral reefs, and sedimentary rocks reveals that current warming is occurring roughly 10 times faster than after an ice age.
• The current warming trend is different from past climate changes, as it is clearly the result of human activities since the mid-1800s.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from a theory to an established fact since systematic assessments began in the 1970s.
• Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97% or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends are extremely likely due to human activities.

NASA also highlights the observable effects of human-caused global warming, such as the loss of sea ice, melting glaciers and ice sheets, sea-level rise, and more intense heat waves. These effects are already impacting people's lives and will continue to worsen as long as humans continue to add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

NASA's data shows warming temperatures far outpacing the amount of energy from the sun

NASA's data shows that warming temperatures are far outpacing the amount of energy from the sun. The sun's energy output changes over multiple timescales, from seconds to millennia, and these variations can be observed in the global temperature record. The most consistent pattern is the 11-year cycle of high and low activity caused by the reversal of the sun's magnetic poles. During strong cycles, the sun's total brightness at solar maximum can be up to 0.1% higher than at solar minimum, resulting in a global average temperature change of 0.1 degrees Celsius or less.

However, NASA's data reveals that since the mid-20th century, solar activity has declined while global temperatures have increased rapidly. The amount of solar energy reaching the Earth has followed the sun's natural 11-year cycle with no net increase since the 1950s. In contrast, global temperatures have risen significantly during the same period. This discrepancy indicates that the sun is unlikely to be the primary driver of the observed global warming trend.

One key piece of evidence is the analysis of the amount of solar energy reaching the top of the atmosphere. Since 1978, satellite sensors have tracked this data, showing no upward trend in the amount of solar energy reaching our planet. If the sun were the main contributor to global warming, we would expect to see a consistent increase in solar energy input.

Additionally, the pattern of warming observed in the atmosphere further contradicts the notion that the sun is the primary cause of global warming. If solar activity were the main factor, we would expect to see warming throughout all layers of the atmosphere. Instead, NASA's data reveals warming at the surface and cooling in the stratosphere, indicating that the warming is caused by a buildup of heat-trapping gases near the Earth's surface rather than an increase in the sun's energy output.

Furthermore, scientific information derived from natural sources such as ice cores, rocks, and tree rings, as well as modern equipment like satellites and instruments, all point to human activities as the predominant cause of climate change. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), leading to the greenhouse effect and trapping more of the sun's energy in the Earth's system. This, in turn, has resulted in the warming of the atmosphere, oceans, and land, causing widespread and rapid changes.

In conclusion, NASA's data clearly demonstrates that warming temperatures are outpacing the amount of energy from the sun, indicating that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are the primary drivers of climate change.

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