Anthropogenic global warming theory
The anthropogenic global theory holds human beings responsible for most of the slight warming trend seen since the Little Ice Age - at about the time of the American Revolutionary War. [1]
A panel of the United Nations is "90% sure" that most global warming since about 1950 has been caused by human beings,[1] but most scientists are skeptical about this view.[Citation Needed]
The idea that human activities, such as the combustion of fossil fuels, can significantly warm the earth's atmosphere is called the enhanced greenhouse effect.[2]
Relation to current climate change
The anthropogenic global warming theory is one of several explanations for the 1.5 degrees F of warming[3] of the earth's surface recorded since the middle of the 19th century.
The theory enjoys broad based political support from Liberals, Greens and the US Democratic Party, and theory supporters frequently assert the existence of a "scientific consensus" favoring their viewpoint (see Politics of global warming).