claim: The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit ( 0.9 degrees Celsius ) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere.
evidence: Increases in atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 and other long-lived greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and ozone have correspondingly strengthened their absorption and emission of infrared radiation, causing the rise in average global temperature since the mid-20th century.