Climate is not a static state but a constant flux

Science · Published 24 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: We often speak of climate change as a sudden departure from a stable norm. In reality, climate is a redundant expression: it is always varying. To understand the current crisis, we must distinguish between the natural rhythms of our planet and the unprecedented acceleration caused by human activity.

Climate is defined as the mean state and variability of weather features—such as temperature, precipitation, and humidity—over an extended period, typically at least 30 years. Because the atmosphere is a dynamic fluid in constant motion, climate varies across every conceivable timescale. This includes daily day-and-night cycles, decadal shifts, and variations spanning hundreds of millions of years. Factors influencing these changes range from short-term atmospheric chemistry and vegetation to long-term geologic shifts like the movement of continents and the formation of mountain ranges.

While the Earth has always experienced climatic variation through natural processes, the current trend is distinct. Natural forcings include volcanic activity, variations in the Sun’s energy output, and orbital changes, alongside internal cycles like El Niño and La Niña. However, since the mid-20th century, these natural processes have been overwhelmed by human activities. Specifically, the burning of fossil fuels has increased heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels, driving a warming trend that is proceeding at an unprecedented rate over millennia.

It is a common misconception to use 'global warming' and 'climate change' interchangeably. Global warming refers specifically to the long-term heating of the Earth's surface since the pre-industrial period (1850–1900). Climate change is a broader term encompassing the resulting modifications to the entire Earth system, including rising sea levels, ice loss at the poles, and changes in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts. Human activities alone are estimated to have increased the global average temperature by about 1 degree Celsius since the pre-industrial era.

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