Feedbacks on climate in the Earth system: introduction

In the last century, the Earth has undergone a very fast and unusual change in the radiative forcing of its climate, resulting from human actions. This change in forcing has resulted not only mainly from rising concentrations of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), but also from changes in the nature of the land surface and changes in the concentrations of aerosol particles in the atmosphere and of ozone-destroying chemicals in the stratosphere. If the changes in forcing continue on their current trajectory, then very substantial changes in climate are predicted by the end of the century