Oregon Sea Grant

In 2001, two comprehensive reports were released, summarizing the state of scientific knowledge of climate change. The reports, although conceding that our understanding of variations in the climate system is not complete, nevertheless concluded that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities. This fact sheet reviews what is currently known (as of the publication date) about global warming--its natural progression, the role of humans in speeding it along, and its predicted impacts on the Pacific Northwest and the world.