Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Concrete Solutions

By Angélique

Largely caused by humans and our linear modes of production and consumption, climate change is today one of the greatest challenges of our century.

It disrupts climate balances, weakens ecosystems, and endangers our economic and social models. This is where the circular economy comes in. By rethinking how we design, use, and recover resources, it offers concrete levers to reduce emissions and strengthen our collective resilience.

But before moving on to the solutions the circular economy offers, let's first look at the meaning, impacts, and causes of climate change.

What is climate change?

Definition of climate change according to the IPCC

Climate change refers to a lasting change in the Earth's climate, observable over several decades or centuries. According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), it refers to a change in temperatures and climate directly or indirectly attributable to human activity, which alters the composition of the global atmosphere and adds to natural climate variability.

This phenomenon results from an imbalance in the Earth's energy system. In short, the atmosphere retains more heat than it releases back into space, mainly due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.

Since the mid-1800s, human activities have caused a more than 50% increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

The result? As you might expect, the global average temperature has risen by about +1.2°C since 1850, according to the IPCC's 2023 synthesis report, and could exceed +1.5°C as early as the 2030s-2035s if emissions don't drop drastically.

Difference between climate and weather

Climate and weather are often confused, even though they don't operate on the same timescale or type of observation.

Weather describes the atmospheric conditions observed at a given moment in a specific location, such as rain, wind, snow, and the day's temperatures.

Climate, on the other hand, corresponds to the average of these conditions over several decades.

So a cold spell or an isolated storm doesn't call into question the reality of global warming, since they reflect short-term weather variability. Climate change is measured through long-term trends, such as rising average temperatures, rising sea levels, melting ice caps, or shifting climate zones.

It's essential to clearly distinguish these two notions to understand why the climate is changing slowly but profoundly, with cumulative impacts on ecosystems, crops, and human societies.

Climate change vs. climate disruption & global warming

In everyday language, the three terms are often used interchangeably, but they carry important nuances.

"Climate change" is the scientific and institutional term used by recognized institutions such as the IPCC, the UN, or the French Ministry for Ecological Transition. It refers to any lasting change in the Earth's climate, whether warming or cooling, an increase or decrease in rainfall, a shift in climate zones, and so on.

In short, the term "change" stays neutral because it describes a global phenomenon without presuming its direction.

That said, scientific data unambiguously shows that the current change corresponds to a rapid, widespread warming of the climate system. That's why, since the 1980s, researchers, the media, and international institutions have increasingly used the term "global warming" to refer to the rise in global average temperature caused by the growing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

However, keep in mind that the expression "climate disruption" appeared more recently in everyday and media language. It better reflects the complexity and variability of the observed effects:

• In some regions, temperatures are rising sharply.
• In others, the seasons are shifting or becoming unpredictable.
• Extreme events (droughts, torrential rain, heat waves) are increasing.

The notion of disruption thus reflects the loss of balance in the climate system. In this case, it's not a simple, uniform warming, but a series of interconnected disturbances that make the climate more unstable, more extreme, and harder to predict.

These disruptions directly affect biodiversity, water resources, agricultural yields, and population safety. They call for a deep rethink of our economic and energy models.

The causes of climate change

The natural greenhouse effect, amplified by humans

The greenhouse effect is a natural, vital mechanism for life on Earth, as it lets the atmosphere retain part of the heat emitted by the Earth's surface, maintaining an average temperature of about +15°C instead of -18°C. Without this effect, our planet would unfortunately be frozen and inhospitable to all forms of life.

But since the industrial revolution, this phenomenon has intensified under the effect of human activities, consequently increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere.

Gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases trap more heat, disrupting the climate system's energy balance.

This energy surplus warms the atmosphere, oceans, and soils, leading to melting ice, rising sea levels, and more intense weather events.

The main sources of greenhouse gas emissions

The human activities responsible for the majority of GHG emissions are well identified:

• Energy production and consumption. Burning coal, oil, and natural gas to produce electricity, heating, and enable transportation accounts for around 75% of global CO2 emissions. Thermal power plants and combustion-engine vehicles are, in turn, the biggest emitters.
• Agriculture and livestock farming. Intensive livestock farming releases large amounts of methane, a gas with a warming potential 80 times greater than CO2 over 20 years. The use of nitrogen fertilizers emits nitrous oxide, another gas with a high climate impact.
• Deforestation and land-use change. Forests naturally absorb CO2. Their destruction, notably in the Amazon, Central Africa, or Southeast Asia, releases stored carbon and reduces the planet's future absorption capacity. Each year, deforestation contributes to about 10% of global CO2 emissions.
• Industry and construction. The production of cement, steel, and plastic generates significant emissions, both from the energy consumed and the chemical reactions involved.
• Waste and maritime and air transport. The decomposition of organic waste produces methane, while planes and ships consume highly emissive fuels.

All these activities fuel a vicious circle: more greenhouse gases mean more heat, which means more climate disruption and more energy needs to protect ourselves from it (air conditioning, irrigation, etc.).

The historical role of the industrial revolution and current production methods

Climate change didn't emerge from modernity itself, but from the linear development model that took hold with the industrial revolution in the 19th century. This model rests on the principle of extract, produce, then discard.

A few key events intensified these phenomena, such as:

• The massive exploitation of coal, then oil, enabled rapid economic growth, but at the cost of energy dependence and a massive carbon footprint.
• Mass production, planned obsolescence, and the globalization of trade accelerated resource consumption and high-impact logistics flows.
• Economic policies that long prioritized short-term gains and volume over sustainability and sobriety.

This linear model enabled unprecedented development, but it also created a systemic vulnerability to climate change.

The effects of climate change on the planet and human societies

Melting ice

The Arctic alone illustrates the scale of climate change. The region is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the globe, causing rapid melting of the sea ice and permafrost. Polar ecosystems are being disrupted, frozen soils release methane, and Greenland's land ice is already contributing to rising sea levels.

But the consequences extend beyond the polar circle. The gradual disappearance of ice reduces the Earth's reflectivity, as darker oceans absorb more heat, amplifying warming. This energy imbalance disrupts atmospheric and ocean currents, altering wind circulation and air mass distribution.

Weather disruptions

The warming of the atmosphere and oceans is already resulting in increased climate instability. Warmer air holds more moisture, intensifying both droughts in some regions and torrential rain in others.

In France, the 2024 floods showed how fragile economic territories can be. According to the CCI Paris Île-de-France, more than 315,000 businesses are located in areas exposed to a major flood, and more than half have no business continuity plan. Material damage, supply disruptions, and operating losses pile up, revealing a structural vulnerability to these hazards.

In other parts of the world, tropical cyclones are gaining intensity and heat waves are multiplying. These events demonstrate an increasingly unbalanced, reactive, and unpredictable climate, where each additional degree amplifies the extremes.

Impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity

Climate change acts as an accelerator of ecological imbalances. Rising temperatures, droughts, and ocean acidification are altering natural cycles at an unprecedented pace.

Animal and plant species are moving toward colder or wetter areas to survive, but unfortunately not all of them can adapt. Tropical and polar ecosystems, which are particularly sensitive, are seeing their balances break down. As proof, coral is bleaching, tropical forests are losing their ability to store carbon, and wetlands are drying up.

These disruptions are already having cascading effects on food security, water availability, and the services provided by nature. It's important to keep in mind that when an ecosystem collapses, an entire link in the chain (agricultural, economic, health) becomes fragile.

Major human and economic consequences

What affects natural environments inevitably ends up affecting human societies. The same droughts that exhaust soils reduce agricultural yields. The disappearance of forests increases flood risks. Heat waves weaken the health of the most vulnerable and weigh on business productivity.

Every year, extreme weather events cause billions of euros in economic losses and millions of population displacements. In France, as elsewhere in the world, infrastructure, supply chains, and jobs depend on a stable climate, a balance that no longer exists.

The effects of climate change thus point to an obvious truth: there is no economic resilience without ecological resilience. Preserving ecosystems also means protecting the very conditions for our human activities.

How to deal with climate change?

Mitigation or adaptation?

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential, but mitigation alone is no longer enough. The climate has already changed, and its impacts are being felt everywhere. We must therefore act on two fronts.

Transforming our modes of production and consumption, and strengthening the resilience of territories and businesses (whether that means securing resources, rethinking infrastructure, or anticipating hazards) is more than essential in an uncertain, unpredictable world like ours.

Transforming uses & business models through the circular economy

The circular economy is one of the most powerful levers for dealing with climate change, because it acts simultaneously on the causes and the effects.

By reducing pressure on resources, it lowers the emissions associated with their extraction and processing. By extending product lifespans, it limits new production and waste.

But above all, it changes the underlying logic: with the circular economy, the goal is no longer to produce more, but to do more with less in an uncertain world. It's a deep, systemic transformation that relies, among other things, on cooperation between actors and the capacity to innovate.

Beyond that, tools like the Circular Canvas or the Business Resilience Game help organizations identify their risks & dependencies, visualize their impacts, and rethink their models to gain in sustainability and resilience.

Training and raising awareness to accelerate the transition

The fight against climate change doesn't rest solely on technology, but on transforming behaviors and decisions. In this context, training, raising awareness, and involving teams is more than essential to move from awareness to action.

Within a company, this means:

• Integrating climate challenges into the strategy.
• Mobilizing key stakeholders around the transition and shared objectives.
• Cooperating with stakeholders to build shared solutions.

It's through knowledge, cooperation, and shared value creation that we'll be able to build models compatible with planetary boundaries and able to last in an uncertain world.

And the good news is that Circulab Academy raises awareness, trains, and supports your teams in integrating circular economy and resilience principles into your strategy, through training tailored to your context.

In short

Climate change is a reality that's reshaping our ecological, economic, and social balances. To deal with it, reducing our emissions is no longer enough. It has now become essential to adapt our systems, strengthen our resilience, and rethink the way we create value.

The circular economy offers a concrete path to act on both the causes and the effects of climate change, by limiting pressure on resources, fostering cooperation, and stimulating innovation.

It's by combining awareness, action, and collaboration that we'll be able to build models compatible with planetary boundaries.

Sources :

IPCC, Synthesis Report of the 6th Assessment Cycle (AR6, 2023).

French Ministry for Ecological Transition, Understanding Climate Change.