Climate Warming Attribution

Climate warming attribution examines which physical drivers best explain temperature changes across different periods and regions.

Key questions concern the roles of greenhouse gases, solar activity, volcanic and internal variability, aerosol pollution, cloud cover, and changes in the balance of incoming and outgoing radiation. Studies use climate models, satellite measurements, ocean observations, and temperature records to separate these influences. Some analyses emphasize reduced aerosol pollution and cloud-related increases in absorbed sunlight, while other results assign greenhouse gases a substantial role and caution against overstating less-established explanations.