Is there a scientific consensus?
Yes. Study after study finds that the overwhelming majority of climate scientists agree that the planet is warming and that humans are the main cause. The agreement exists because the evidence is strong.
97%, and in recent work more than 99%
Reviews of the published science have repeatedly found agreement of at least 97% among climate scientists and in the peer-reviewed literature. More recent analyses, looking at large numbers of recent papers, put the figure above 99%.
Consensus is not decided by a show of hands. These figures come from counting what the published, peer-reviewed research concludes.
And what it does not
Agreement among experts is not proof by itself. Science is not settled by voting. But a strong, lasting consensus tells you where careful assessment has landed after decades of testing. It exists here because many independent lines of evidence point the same way.
Different groups, same conclusion
The agreement spans different countries, institutions and funding sources, and it is backed by national science academies around the world. To explain it away you would need an unlikely global failure across groups with very different incentives, all landing on the same answer.
The idea that scientists agree only for funding is answered on scientists and funding.
Frequently asked
Yes. Multiple studies find at least 97% agreement among climate scientists, and recent reviews of the literature put it above 99%.
Consensus is not proof on its own, but it reflects where expert assessment has settled after decades of testing, and it exists because the evidence is strong.