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When considering climate change, is it possible that factors other than human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are influencing Earth's climate?

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Final answer:

Factors other than human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, such as Earth's orbital changes and aerosols, also influence climate change, but human activities are the primary driver of the current rapid changes.

Step-by-step explanation:

When considering climate change, there are indeed factors other than human-caused greenhouse gas emissions that have historically influenced Earth's climate. Natural climate influencers include Earth's orbital patterns, such as Milankovitch cycles, solar output variances, and volcanic activity. However, these factors operate over much longer timescales and are incapable of explaining the rapid changes seen in the climate since the industrial era.

Moreover, we can observe additional manmade factors influencing climate change. Increases in near-surface ozone from internal combustion engines and aerosols from various sources, including carbon black and aviation-induced exhaust, contribute to warming by lowering the albedo of surfaces and thus decreasing the reflection of solar radiation.

Despite these additional factors, the overwhelming scientific consensus supports the notion that current climate change is predominantly driven by human activities, particularly fossil fuel combustion that leads to a dramatic increase in greenhouse gases, vastly overshadowing natural processes.

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