Climate change is defined as a significant and long-lasting change in weather patterns over decades or longer. It may include changes in average conditions or more/fewer extreme weather events. Climate change is caused by both natural factors like solar radiation and volcanic eruptions as well as certain human activities identified as contributing to recent global warming. The key factors that can shape climate, called climate forcings, include variations in solar radiation, the Earth's orbit, greenhouse gas concentrations, and mountain building. Forcing mechanisms can be internal, like ocean currents, or external and either natural or human-caused like greenhouse gas emissions.