What causes climate change?

Earth’s temperature depends on the balance between energy entering and leaving the planet’s system . When incoming energy from the sun is absorbed by the Earth system, Earth warms. When the sun’s energy is reflected back into space, Earth avoids warming. When energy is released back into space, Earth cools. Many factors, both natural and human, can cause changes in Earth’s energy balance, including: View enlarged image Models that account only for the effects of natural processes are not able to explain the warming over the past century. Models that also account for the greenhouse gases emitted by humans are able to explain this warming.
Source: USGRCP (2009) Changes in the greenhouse effect, which affects the amount of heat retained by Earth’s atmosphereVariations in the sun’s energy reaching EarthChanges in the reflectivity of Earth’s atmosphere and surface

That result from subduction of oceanic plates beneath lighter continental plates. most of the earth's volcanoes are located around the pacific ring of fire because that the location of most of the earth's subduction zones.