3707. Catastrophic Global Warming and Climate Change: An Overview of the Crisis and How to Stop It

By Kamran Nayeri, August 3, 2026   

Overlap between future population distribution and extreme heat demographic projections to ∼2070. The shaded areas depict regions where minimum average temperature exceeds 29 °C, while the colored topography details the spread of population density.

As I am writing this essay on July 31, 2026, Canada, France, and Spain are all experiencing catastrophic wildfire seasons, but the fires have somewhat different characteristics. The striking common denominator is extreme heat and dryness associated with climate change, interacting with local vegetation, drought, wind, and human ignition sources. As I am writing, the region I live in in northern California is covered with smoke from the Woodside Fire near the Pacific Ocean, which ignited yesterday at 1:30 in the afternoon and is still burning.

In this essay, I will provide basic information from authoritative sources about the catastrophic global warming and climate change these fires exemplify and point to the policies needed to address them. To understand global warming and catastrophic climate change and how to stop them is not an option but a necessity for the survival of humanity and much of life on Earth.

What Is Global Warming and What Causes It?

The atmosphere is currently more than 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than preindustrial times.

Scientists attribute the global warming trend to the human expansion of the "greenhouse effect" (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-IPCC, 2022), a warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space.

Life on Earth depends on energy coming from the Sun. About half the light energy reaching Earth's atmosphere passes through the air and clouds to the surface, where it is absorbed and radiated in the form of infrared heat. About 90% of this heat is then absorbed by greenhouse gases (GHGs) and re-radiated, slowing heat loss to space and causing the atmosphere to warm.

What Are Greenhouse Gases?

Greenhouse gases are a category of gases that absorb heat energy emitted from the planet's surface, and they remain in Earth's atmosphere for a long time (from decades to centuries). Though they make up less than 1% of all air molecules in the atmosphere, GHGs absorb a significant amount of heat energy and re-radiate some of it back toward the surface. They're called "greenhouse gases" because they trap heat near the Earth's surface in a manner somewhat like how a greenhouse allows in the sun’s rays and then holds in the resulting heat

By adding more GHGs, chief among them carbon dioxide and methane, to the atmosphere, humans are causing average global temperature to rise at an unprecedented rate. Earth has warmed up by an average of 0.11°F (0.06°C) per decade since 1850, or about 2°F (1.1°C) in total. Let’s recall this process began with the English Industrial Revolution 1760–1840 and has continued ever since with the spread of industrialization worldwide. 

The most important greenhouse gases, listed in order of their impact on the greenhouse effect, are:Water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and ozone (O₃).

Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas, while carbon dioxide is the most significant in terms of human activities and climate change mitigation efforts. While water vapor emissions have been relatively stable over the long term, studies show they have been increasing in recent decades due to global warming and climate change (Allen et al. al, 2022; Dong et al., 2022).

In its Sixth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, composed of scientific experts from countries all over the world, concluded that it is unequivocal that the increase of CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere over the industrial era is the result of human activities and that human influence is the principal driver of many changes observed across the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere.

In recent decades, the average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) has been increasing from around 330 parts per million (ppm) in the 1970s to 340 ppm in the 1980s, to 360 ppm in the 1990s, to 380 ppm in the 2000s, to 400 ppm in the 2100.  As of 2023, CO₂ concentrations are reported to be over 420 ppm, with methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) also showing substantial increases.

If annual emissions continue to increase as rapidly as they have since 2000, climate models project that by the end of this century global temperature will be between 2.7°F (1.5°C) warmer than the 1901-1960 average, and possibly as much as 7.9°F (4.4°C) warmer, which would be catastrophic to humanity and much of life on Earth.

Sources of carbon dioxide emissions are:

• Fossil Fuel Combustion: This includes burning coal, oil, and natural gas for electricity, heat, and transportation, which is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally.
• Agriculture: Agricultural practices, particularly livestock production, release significant amounts of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) due to enteric fermentation and fertilizer use.
• Deforestation: The clearing of forests for agriculture or urban development reduces the number of trees that can absorb CO₂, contributing to increased atmospheric carbon levels.
• Industrial Processes: Manufacturing and chemical production release various greenhouse gases, including CO₂ and fluorinated gases, which have a high global warming potential.
• Waste Management: Landfills produce methane as organic waste decomposes anaerobically, while waste treatment processes can also emit greenhouse gases.

The most basic reason is that fossil fuels, the equivalent of millions of years of plant growth, are the only source of carbon dioxide large enough to raise atmospheric carbon dioxide amounts as high and as quickly as they have risen.

How Does Global Warming Cause Climate Change?

Global warming causes catastrophic climate change by altering weather patterns characteristic of the Holocene geological epoch.  This epoch began approximately 11,700 years ago, following the last glacial period known as the Pleistocene. The Holocene is characterized by a relatively stable climate that has allowed farming and the development of human civilizations. Catastrophic climate change is undermining the stable weather patterns of the Holocene. Some geologists have argued that the Earth has entered the epoch of the Anthropocene (The Age of Humans). Climate change is primarily driven by the greenhouse effect, where gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane trap heat in the atmosphere. This process enhances the natural greenhouse effect, leading to higher temperatures. As temperatures rise, certain feedback mechanisms, such as reduced ice cover and increased water vapor, further amplify warming. For instance, melting ice reduces the Earth's albedo (reflectivity), causing more solar energy to be absorbed.

Consequences of Global Warming and Climate Change

Global warming and climate change affect virtually every aspect of the Earth system: the atmosphere, oceans, ecosystems, economies, and societies. They cause extreme weather, such as higher temperatures, leading to more frequent and severe hurricanes, droughts, and heavy rainfall. They cause ecosystem disruption: Changes in climate affect biodiversity, leading to shifts in species distribution and habitat loss. This feeds another existential ecological crisis, the Sixth Extinction: Current extinction rates are estimated at 100 to 1,000 times higher than natural background extinction (Ceballos et al., 2018; Cowie et al., 2022; De Vos et.al., 2014). They also cause sea Level rise: Melting polar ice and thermal expansion of seawater contribute to rising sea levels, threatening coastal communities.

Many consequences reinforce one another through feedback loops. Below is a systematic overview with examples.

1. Rising temperatures

Average global surface temperature has risen by about 1.3–1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, although warming varies by region. Examples include record-breaking heat waves in Europe (2022–2025), temperatures above 49°C (120°F) in parts of western North America, and longer and hotter summers in southern Europe and the Middle East.  Consequences include heat-related deaths, lower labor productivity, and greater electricity demand for cooling (causing more GHG emissions).

2. More frequent and intense heat waves

Heat waves are becoming longer, more frequent, and more severe. Examples include India’s recurring spring heat waves, the U.S. Pacific Northwest “heat dome” (2021),  Mediterranean heat waves. Consequences include heat stroke, crop damage, infrastructure failures (roads buckling, rail tracks deforming

3. Melting glaciers

Nearly all mountain glaciers are shrinking. Examples include the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, and Alaska. Consequences include reduced freshwater supplies, increased glacier lake outburst floods, and loss of tourism.

4. Greenland and Antarctic ice loss

Massive ice sheets are losing hundreds of billions of tons annually. Consequences include sea level rise lasting centuries and permanent loss of coastal land. Sea level has risen roughly 20–25 cm (8–10 inches) since 1900 and is accelerating. Examples include Miami flooding during high tides, Pacific island nations threatened, and coastal inundation in Bangladesh. Consequences include coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion into groundwater, and displacement of millions.

5. Sea level rise

Sea level has risen roughly 20–25 cm (8–10 inches) since 1900 and is accelerating. Examples: Miami flooding during high tides, Pacific island nations threatened, Bangladesh coastal inundation.  Consequences: Coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion into groundwater, displacement of millions. Sea level has risen roughly 20–25 cm (8–10 inches) since 1900 and is accelerating. Examples: Miami flooding during high tides, Pacific island nations threatened, Bangladesh coastal inundation. Consequences: Coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion into groundwater, displacement of millions.

6. Stronger storms

Warmer oceans provide more energy for tropical cyclones. Examples include Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Ian, and Typhoon Haiyan. Consequences include greater rainfall, larger storm surges, and more infrastructure damage

7. More extreme rainfall: A warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor. Examples include Germany floods (2021), Pakistan floods (2022), Vermont flooding (2023), Afghanistan flood 2026.  Consequences include flash floods, landslides, and urban flooding

8. More severe droughts

Some regions experience prolonged drying. Examples include the Western United States megadrought, Horn of Africa drought, and Mediterranean drying. Consequences: Crop failures, water shortages, hydroelectric power losses

9. Larger wildfires

Hotter, drier conditions increase wildfire risk. Examples include Canada (2023), Australia's Black Summer (2019–20), and California fires. Consequences: Loss of forests, air pollution, and property destruction.

10. Ocean warming

More than 90% of excess heat enters the oceans.  Examples include heat waves and warmer North Atlantic temperatures. Consequences include Coral bleaching, fish migration, and stronger hurricanes.

11. Ocean acidification

Oceans absorb carbon dioxide, making seawater more acidic. Examples include coral reef acidification and bleaching, and oyster hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest. Consequences include weakened shells, reduced reef growth, and food web disruption.

12. Coral reef collapse

Repeated marine heat waves kill corals. Examples include Great Barrier Reef bleaching and Caribbean reef decline. Consequences: Loss of biodiversity, reduced fisheries, and lower tourism revenue.

13. Permafrost thaw

Frozen soils are thawing across the Arctic. Examples include Siberia, Alaska, and Northern. Consequences include Methane release, infrastructure collapse, and ecosystem changes.

14. Biodiversity loss

Many species cannot adapt quickly enough and die off. Examples: Amphibian declines, Arctic species under stress, and Alpine plants disappearing. Consequences: Local extinctions, simplified ecosystems, reduced resilience.

15. Species migration

Species move toward the poles or higher elevations. Examples include fish moving northward, birds changing migration timing, and insects expanding ranges. Consequences: New ecological competition. Altered food webs.

16. Agricultural impacts

Climate affects yields differently across regions. Examples include wheat losses during heat waves, coffee production moving uphill, and vineyard relocation. Consequences: Lower yields, food price increases, and greater volatility.

17. Water insecurity

Changing precipitation alters water availability. Examples include Colorado River shortages, Himalayan glacier-fed rivers, Cape Town water crisis. Consequences: Competition among agriculture, cities, and ecosystems.

18. Food insecurity

Climate stresses global food systems. Examples include crop failures in East Africa, fisheries decline, and livestock heat stress. Consequences: Higher food prices, increased malnutrition, humanitarian crises.

19. Human health impacts

Climate affects health through multiple pathways. Examples include heat deaths, smoke inhalation, and spread of infectious diseases. Consequences: More cardiovascular illness, respiratory disease, mental health impacts

20. Spread of infectious diseases

Changing climates alter habitats for disease vectors. Examples include Dengue fever expanding, malaria reaching higher elevations, and Lyme disease moving north.

21. Air quality deterioration

Higher temperatures worsen ozone formation and wildfire smoke. Examples include smoke from Canadian wildfires affecting eastern North America, and increased urban ozone episodes.

22. Economic losses

Climate damages infrastructure and reduces productivity. Examples include billion-dollar disasters in the United States, insurance losses, and agricultural losses.

23. Climate migration

People relocate because of environmental change. Examples include Pacific islands, Bangladesh, and the Sahel region.

24. Increased conflict risks

Climate does not usually cause wars directly, but it can intensify existing tensions. Examples include water disputes, farmer–herder conflicts, and resource competition

25. Infrastructure damage

Climate affects transportation, utilities, and buildings. Examples include rail buckling, airport runway damage, and flooded subway systems.

26. Energy system disruption

Climate influences both energy demand and supply. Examples include higher summer electricity demand, reduced hydropower during drought, and transmission failures during heat.

27. Loss of benefits from ecosystems

Natural ecosystems provide benefits that support human well-being. Examples include pollination, water purification, and flood protection by wetlands

28. Cultural losses

Climate threatens places and traditions tied to particular environments. Examples include Arctic Indigenous environmental cultural practices, Pacific island cultural heritage, and historic coastal communities.

29. Financial instability

Climate risks increasingly affect financial systems. Examples include rising insurance premiums or insurer withdrawals from high-risk regions, and declining property values in flood-prone areas.

30. Positive feedback loops

Some climate changes accelerate further warming. Examples include Arctic sea ice loss reducing Earth’s reflectivity (albedo), leading to more heat absorption; thawing permafrost releasing methane and carbon dioxide; and forest dieback reducing carbon storage.

Who Is Responsible?

To stop global warming and catastrophic climate change, let us ask who is most responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases.

The top ten countries responsible for greenhouse gas emissions are as follows:

• China - The largest emitter, contributing approximately 30% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with around 11.4 billion metric tons in 2022.
• United States - The second-largest contributor, emitting about 6.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2021.
• India - Responsible for roughly 3.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, accounting for about 7% of global emissions in 2021.
• European Union (EU) - As a collective, the EU member states contribute significantly, though individual country emissions vary widely.
• Russia - A major emitter to global greenhouse gases.
• Japan - Known for high emissions due to industrial activities.
• Germany - One of the largest economies in Europe, contributing notably to emissions.
• Iran - A significant emitter, largely due to its oil and gas industry.
• South Korea - High emissions from industrial and energy sectors.
• Indonesia - Notable emissions primarily from deforestation and land-use changes.

While China is the top polluter, it also has the largest population in the world, 1.4 billion people.

Another way to look at which countries are most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions is to look at the top five countries on a per capita basis. They are Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia; all are also major exporters of oil and gas.  

Thus, if two dozen countries of the world are held accountable for greenhouse gas emissions and they stop such emissions, it goes a long way toward stopping global warming.

Why Have World Governments Proved Unable to Stop Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

There is a clear correlation and causation between industrialization and burning fossil fuels, beginning with the English Industrial Revolution 1760–1840, as the following graph shows.

Fossil fuels have been essential for capitalist industrialization due to their role as a primary energy source. Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, have powered industrialization worldwide. Their accessibility and energy density made them the backbone of economic development, facilitating mass production and transportation. Despite being the world leader in the production of renewable technologies, China is still the largest producer and consumer of coal and coal power in the world. China produces approximately 4.8 billion tons of coal per year, over half of the global total.

The material force behind the continued use of fossil fuels is capitalist competition.

Competition and Efficiency
The competitive nature of capitalism has necessitated the adoption of fossil fuels. Once some capitalists began utilizing these energy sources, others had to follow to remain viable in the market. This has created a cycle of dependency that reinforced their use across industries and countries worldwide.

Infrastructure Development
Fossil fuels have driven the development of infrastructure, including transportation systems and urbanization, which are critical for capitalist economies. This infrastructure supports not only industrial activities but also the distribution of goods and services, further entrenching fossil fuels in the capitalist framework.

The same forces account for what economists call moral hazard.  In economics, a moral hazard is a situation where an economic actor (a corporation or a government) has an incentive to increase its exposure to risk because it will not bear the full costs associated with that risk. For example, when a corporation is insured, it may take on higher risk knowing that its insurance will pay the associated costs. A moral hazard may occur where the actions of the risk-taking party change to the detriment of the cost-bearing party after a financial transaction has taken place. Moral hazard arises when two or more parties form an agreement or contractual relationship and the arrangement itself provides an incentive for misbehavior by isolating one party from responsibility.

After decades of inaction by the world’s governments, the Paris Agreement was negotiated by 196 parties at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference near Paris, France. Each government pledged to devise ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions voluntarily. There was no enforcement mechanism.  Thus, every government had an incentive to let others take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while it continued to pollute. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions increased 9% between 2015 and 2024, driven by rising energy demand from data centers and industrialization, as reported by McKinsey & Company.

What Is to Be Done?

Worldwide spread of capitalism and industrialization required the ever-increasing use of fossil fuels. human population has exploded 800 percent since the start of the use of fossil fuels. Capitalist development requires ever more production and consumption of commodities, increasing global per capita energy usage over time. Life today in a typical city looks profoundly different from daily life in 1820.  Modernity would never have happened without an unprecedented abundance of energy.

Societies became dependent on evermore economic growth to provide jobs for a growing workforce and returns on investment for an expanding capitalist class. Today, every politician, regardless of party or ideology, promises more economic growth. But more growth requires a continued increase in energy.

Wars are being waged for oil and gas as the current war against Iran and the struggle over control of the Strait of Hormuz show.

This worldwide dynamic is driving catastrophic global warming and climate change.

Unless greenhouse gas emissions stop, climate science tells us it can become self-sustaining once one or more tipping points are reached. A tipping point is a critical threshold that, when crossed, leads to large, accelerating, and often irreversible changes in the climate system. If tipping points are crossed, they are likely to have severe impacts on human society and accelerate global warming.

Key climate tipping points include: Greenland Ice Sheet Collapse, West Antarctic Ice Sheet Collapse, as significant melting could lead to accelerated sea-level rise; coral Reef Die-Off, as warming oceans and acidification threaten coral ecosystems, impacting marine biodiversity; Boreal permafrost thaw, which releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, exacerbating climate change; Monsoon system changes that cause alterations in monsoon patterns can affect water supply and agriculture in many regions.

The only effective method is to force governments to enact enforceable legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a post-carbon economy and society, and to change our lifestyle in ways to reduce and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. This is only possible if a politically independent mass movement of working people forces the government’s hand.

However, this has not happened anywhere in the world yet. In the U.S., a main polluter, on September 21, 2014, the People’s Climate March in New York City, with more than 310,000 people and hundreds of contingents, was a great success. The organizers report that 2,807 similar actions took place in 166 countries during that weekend (Nayeri, October 1, 2014). However, the leadership of the movement fell to Bill McKibben, a journalist by profession, who helped organize 350.org, the main organization in the movement to stop global warming. However, McKibben originally believed he could convince the fossil fuel companies to cease production. Later, he offered self-criticism and argued the movement should instead focus on electing politicians who support the transition to renewable energy, which happens to be largely Democratic politicians, to lobby nationally and locally for the same end. He combined this with “direct action” like chaining himself to the gates of a refinery.

Margaret Klein Salamon and Ezra Silk organized The Climate Mobilization, who believed the U.S. needs an emergency mobilization like the effort organized by Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in World War II to transform the U.S. economy. The problem again was that to do so they wanted to rely on capitalist politicians (Nayeri, September 3, 2016). In 2018, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez was elected to the House of Representatives, and she campaigned for what she called a Green New Deal (GND) to stop global warming and climate change. At the time, she managed to get a large following among the left Democratic Party supporters as well as socialists and ecosocialists. Her GND was built on a left-liberal bourgeois vision and political platform, as I analyzed in detail (Nayeri, March 25, 2019).

Without an independent politically minded working people’s movement, it remains up to individuals to adopt lifestyles that avoid emissions of greenhouse gases. Currently, about 5%-7% of households have rooftop solar photovoltaic systems. In 2026, renewables supply roughly 27-30% of U.S. electricity generation, so the average household’s electricity mix contains about that proportion of renewable energy, although it varies widely state by state, which amounts to about 5% of home energy use. However, the “renewable” sources for this type of energy generation include burning wood, which releases greenhouse gases.

In brief, the U.S. falls very short of any serious effort to stop catastrophic global warming and climate change.   

Consciousness trails scientific knowledge by well over a century

Svante August Arrhenius (1859 – 1927), a Swedish scientist, was the first to use the principles of physical chemistry to estimate the extent to which increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide are responsible for the Earth's increasing surface temperature. His work played an important role in the emergence of modern climate science. In the 1960s, Charles David Keeling, an American scientist, recorded atmospheric carbon dioxide at the Mauna Loa Observatory, confirming Svante Arrhenius's hypothesis of anthropogenic causes for the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Let us remember, humanity also faces other existential ecological crises: The Sixth Extinction, recurrent pandemics, and nuclear holocaust. The first two are interrelated with catastrophic global warming and climate change.

Degrowth literature hints at the possible solution (Nayeri, 2021). However, there is nothing short of transcending anthropocentric, industrial-capitalist civilization in the direction of an Ecocentric Socialist (Nayeri, 2023, Chapter 19; Nayeri, 2012) future that can save humanity and much of life on Earth.  

References:

Allen, Richard P., Kate M. Willett, Viju O. John, Tim Trent. “Global Changes in Water Vapor 1979–2020.” JGR Atmospheres.  June 2022.

Ceballos, Gerardo; Ehrlich, Paul R. "The Misunderstood Sixth Mass Extinction". Science. 360 (6393): 1080–1081. June 8, 2018.

Cowie, Robert H., Philippe Bouchet, Benoît Fontaine. “The Sixth Mass Extinction: Fact, Fiction or Speculation?” Biol Rev Camb Philo Soc. 2022 Jan 10;97(2):640–663.

De Vos, Jurriaan M.; Joppa, Lucas N.; Gittleman, John L.; Stephens, Patrick R.; Pimm, Stuart L. (2014-08-26). "Estimating the Normal Background Rate of Species Extinction" (PDF). Conservation Biology (in Spanish). 29 (2): 452–462.

Dong Ren, Yong Wang, Guocheng Wang, Lintao Liu. “Rising trends of global precipitable water vapor and its correlation with flood frequency.” Geodesy and Geodynamics, Volume 14, Issue 4, July 2023, Pages 355-367.

Nayeri, Kamran. “People’s Climate March Was a Huge Success; What to Do Next?” Our Place in the World: A Journal of Ecosocialism. October 1, 2014.

_____________. “Making Progress: A Critical Assessment of Climate Action Plans by Bill McKibben and The Climate Mobilization.” Our Place in the World: A Journal of Ecosocialism. September 3, 2016.

_____________. “A Future for American Capitalism or The Future of Life on Earth?: An Ecosocialist Critique of the "Green New Deal." Our Place in the World: A Journal of Ecosocialism. March 25, 2019.

_____________. “The Case for Ecocentric Socialism.” Our Place in the World: A Journal of Ecosocialism. July 22, 2021.

_____________. “On Degrowth.” Our Place in the World: A Journal of Ecosocialism. July 22, 2021.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). WG1, Summary for Policy Makers, Section A, “The Current State of the Climate;” IPCC 6th Assessment Report, WG1, Technical Summary, Sections TS.1.2, TS.2.1 and TS.3.1.