D4.3.1—Anthropogenic causes

Anthropogenic climate change is driven by human releases of greenhouse gases that increase long-wave radiation absorption and global heating over time.

Syllabus
First assessment 2025
Objective
D4.3.1
Level
HL

Exam analysis

Chance of appearing9%of analysed past papers
Latest appearanceNovember 2025
Most common paperPaper2
Typical marks1–3

Common command terms

  • Explain
  • Outline
  • Discuss
  • Describe
  • State

Scoring notes

Common mistake
Confusing the greenhouse effect with ozone-layer depletion or ultraviolet radiation reaching Earth.

Recent exam appearances

November 2025Paper2 ["HL"] · TZ14(c)[ 2 ]D4.3.1—Anthropogenic causes
May 2025Paper1A ["HL"] · TZ140[ 1 ]D4.3.1—Anthropogenic causes
May 2025Paper2 ["HL"] · TZ32(b)[ 2 ]D4.3.1—Anthropogenic causes
November 2022Paper2 ["HL"] · TZ03(c)[ 1 ]D4.3.1—Anthropogenic causes
November 2022Paper2 ["HL"] · TZ03(b)[ 3 ]D4.3.1—Anthropogenic causes
Practice this objective

Coverage 2016–2025 · Updated 16 Jul 2026

Human CO₂ and Methane Emissions Drive Climate Change

Anthropogenic climate change is driven here by human-caused increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane, which absorb outgoing infrared radiation.

Gas Major anthropogenic sources
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) Fossil-fuel combustion and deforestation/land-use change
Methane (CH₄) Livestock and rice agriculture, waste decomposition, and fossil-fuel extraction or leakage

Higher concentrations strengthen greenhouse forcing, altering Earth's radiative balance and raising long-term mean temperature.

Antarctic ice cores show a long-term positive correlation between CO₂ and temperature, but correlation alone does not establish causal direction. Infrared absorption physics, observations and climate models provide the additional causal evidence.

One weather event cannot demonstrate climate causation; attribution uses long-term patterns and multiple independent evidence sources.

Anthropogenic causes

Assessment in practice

1–3 marks
How it is assessed

This objective is assessed through structured response, commonly using Explain / Outline / Discuss.

Command terms

Explain / Outline / Discuss / Describe / State

What earns marks

Build the answer around this relationship: The greenhouse effect is natural, but human activity enhances it by increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.

Watch for

Confusing the greenhouse effect with ozone-layer depletion or ultraviolet radiation reaching Earth.

Representative question

Question 1

[Maximum number: 7]

Explain the impact of anthropogenic activity on climate change.

Retrieve the SL Climate Chain

Core D4.3 is secure when every climate impact is explained as a chain: human greenhouse-gas sources or feedbacks change climate conditions, which alter habitats, oceans, carbon stores, or species distributions. Carbon sequestration is the mitigation chain that stores atmospheric CO2.

  • human gases and positive feedbacks amplify warming
  • boreal forests, ice habitats, upwelling and reefs shift through specific mechanisms
  • species may move poleward, upslope, contract, or lose ice/reef habitat
  • afforestation, agroforestry, regeneration and peatland rewetting store CO2

Climate Effects on Ecosystems

Core climate-change transfer answers should not list endangered examples. They should identify the climate driver, explain the physical or chemical mechanism, then state the biological consequence. Use this for greenhouse gases, feedbacks, boreal forests, ice-dependent species, upwelling, range shifts, reefs, and carbon sequestration.

  • Link human activities to increased greenhouse gases and enhanced warming.
  • Explain ecosystem impacts using mechanisms such as positive feedback, carbon sink/source shifts, habitat ice loss, reduced upwelling, range shifts, bleaching or acidification.
  • Explain carbon sequestration by naming the storage pathway in biomass, forests, soils or peatlands.

Concept essentials

  • The greenhouse effect is natural, but human activity enhances it by increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.
  • Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour, and nitrous oxides absorb long-wave infrared radiation.
  • Fossil fuel combustion and deforestation are repeated causes of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide.