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Understanding Global Change

Discover why the climate and environment changes, your place in the Earth system, and paths to a resilient future.

Understanding Global Change

Discover why the climate and environment changes, your place in the Earth system, and paths to a resilient future.

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Home → What is Global Change → Causes of Global Change → Human causes

Human causes

Human activities are rapidly changing in the rate and magnitude of Earth system processes, and have resulted in observable, measurable changes in the Earth system, especially over the last 150 years.

Click the icons below to learn more about the human causes of global change. Each page links to related topics on the UGC Infographic.

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  • Human causes
  • Non-human causes

UGC infographic that highlights agricultural activities as human causes of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Agricultural activities

UGC infographic that highlights the burning of fossil fuels as a human cause of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Burning of fossil fuels

UGC infographic that highlights deforestation and reforestation as human causes of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Deforestation / reforestation

UGC infographic that highlights fishing and hunting as human causes of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Fishing and hunting

UGC infographic that highlights freshwater use as a human cause of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Freshwater use

UGC infographic that highlights habitat loss and restoration as human causes of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Habitat loss / restoration

UGC infographic that highlights innovation as a human cause of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Innovation

UGC infographic that highlights invasive species as a human cause of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Invasive species

UGC infographic that highlights pollutants and waste as human causes of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Pollutants and waste

UGC infographic that highlights population growth as a human cause of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Population growth

UGC infographic that highlights renewable energy as a human cause of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Renewable energy

UGC infographic that highlights resource extraction as a human cause of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Resource extraction

UGC infographic that highlights urbanization as a human cause of global change. Click to see full infographic.

Urbanization

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