National Aeronautics and Space Administration

What are the consequences of change in the earth system for human civilization? Missions for 'under study' phase.

Earth's climate system has been remarkably stable over the last 20,000 years or so. Human civilization developed in that time span, and our world's average temperature warmed by about 5°C to the temperature it is today. This fact points to one of climate scientists' main concerns about global warming: the temperature is rising faster than at any other time in the history of human civilization and such rapid climate change is likely to seriously stress some populations who cannot adapt quickly enough to the changes.

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