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global warming

Definition

Global warming is the long-term heating of Earth's climate system observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900) due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere. The term is frequently used interchangeably with the term climate change, though the latter refers to both human- and naturally-produced warming and the effects it has on our planet. It is most commonly measured as the average increase in Earth's global surface temperature.

Since the pre-industrial period, human activities are estimated to have increased Earth's global average temperature by about 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), a number that is currently increasing by 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade. Most of the current warming trend is extremely likely (greater than 95 per cent probability) the result of human activity since the 1950s and is proceeding at an unprecedented rate over decades to millennia.

How can the word be used?

Global warming is the leading cause of climate change.

global warming

Different forms of the word

Noun: global warming.

Adjective: global warming.

Verb: to global warm.

Synonym: climate change.

Etymology

The term "global warming" was first used in the 1950s by scientists to describe the long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth's climate system. The term is derived from the words "global" and "warming", and it refers to the fact that the Earth is getting warmer.

Question

What is global warming?