3 scientific signs the Earth is heating — here's how we can fight back

Climate change is no longer a distant threat — it is a present and accelerating crisis. 

The Earth’s average surface temperature has risen by approximately 1.1°C since the late 19th century, mostly due to greenhouse gas emissions from human activities such as fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, as per the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration Services Administration (Nasa) in 2024. 

This warming has triggered more extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and widespread ecological disruption. 

Despite growing awareness, global emissions continue to rise, and time is running out to act decisively. 

Here are 3 scientific proofs that the planet Earth is indeed warming, supported by authoritative sources:

Evidence: Global surface temperatures have increased by approximately 1.2°C (2.2°F) since the late 19th century, with most of the warming occurring since the 1970s.

The agency’s analysis generally matches independent analyses prepared by the​ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other research groups. 

Overall, Earth was about 2.65 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 1.47 degrees Celsius) warmer in 2024 than in the late 19th-century (1850-1900) preindustrial average. 

The 10 most recent years (2015 to 2024) are the warmest on record.

Evidence: Both the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have been losing mass at an accelerating rate. Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019.

Data from NASA’s GRACE and GRACE Follow-On satellites show that the land ice sheets in both Antarctica  and Greenland have been losing mass since 2002.

The GRACE mission ended in June 2017. The GRACE Follow-On mission began collecting data in June 2018 and is continuing to monitor both ice sheets. 

This record includes new data-processing methods and is continually updated as more numbers come in, with a delay of up to two months.

They are losing ice due to the ongoing warming of Earth’s surface and ocean. Meltwater coming from these ice sheets is responsible for about one-third of the global average rise in sea level since 1993.

Data Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), NASA GRACE satellite data

“Data from NASA's GRACE satellites show that the land ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland are losing mass. The rate of ice mass loss in Greenland has increased nearly fourfold since 1992.”

Evidence: Global mean sea level has risen about 8–9 inches (21–24 centimeters) since 1880, according to NOAA. The rising water level is mostly due to a combination of meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets and thermal expansion of seawater as it warms.

In 2023, global mean sea level was 101.4 mm (3.99 inches) above 1993 levels, making it the highest annual average in the satellite record, from 1993 to the present), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the IPCC.

These multiple lines of evidence — temperature data, ice melt rates, and sea level rise — all independently confirm that Earth is warming, and they are supported by rigorous data from reputable scientific institutions.

The real score: climate change is not just about the future — it is reshaping our planet today.

What are we to do?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made an urgent call: the world must cut emissions nearly in half by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of warming beyond 1.5°C, a critical threshold that scientists warn could lead to irreversible damage (IPCC, 2023). 

Experts point to a need for a coordinated global action to mitigate its most dangerous consequences.

Fortunately, there are workable solutions to global warming, each supported by credible sources and current research:. We list them below:

1. Transition to renewable energy

Solution: Replace fossil fuels with clean energy sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power.
Impact: Reduces greenhouse gas emissions, especially CO₂ from coal and oil.

Solution: Upgrade buildings, appliances, and transportation systems to be more energy-efficient.
Impact: Cuts emissions and saves money on energy bills.

Solution: Halt deforestation and expand reforestation efforts.
Impact: Forests act as "carbon sinks", absorbing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Solution: Shift from gasoline/diesel vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) powered by clean electricity.
Impact: Transportation is a major emitter; electrification drastically cuts CO₂ emissions.

 Solution: Use sustainable farming practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and precision fertilisation.
Impact: Reduces emissions from agriculture while improving food security.

These solutions to global warming are both scientifically sound and technically feasible, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change.