Human activities amplify Earth’s natural greenhouse effect by increasing the abundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Virtually all climate scientists agree that this rise in heat-trapping gases is the primary reason for the increase in global temperature since the late nineteenth century. Specifically, certain heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide, are warming the world, and we release these gases when we burn fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. Rising carbon dioxide levels strengthen Earth’s greenhouse effect and contribute to global warming.