Humans caused climate change. Amid the suffering, now they must solve it

The last few years have been brutal for the climate — and for the humans and other living things within it. Around the globe, heat records have been shattered. Floods have soaked Pakistan, Libya and many other countries in torrents that destroyed property and claimed lives. And powerful storms have blasted the eastern coasts of India and the United States, among other places. For more than 100 years, scientists have known that large quantities of greenhouse gases, released from the burning of fossil fuels, go up into the atmosphere and heat the planet. That heating leads to frequent and more extreme alterations in weather patterns. In that sense, climate change can be thought of as the Great Accelerator. Despite the enormous challenge, solutions are in sight and under way