---
title: "Natural vs. human drivers"
course: "ENVR 200 · Climate change, explained"
unit: "How the climate system works"
lesson: 7 of 19
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/climate-change-explained/natural-vs-human-drivers
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Natural vs. human drivers

Lesson 7 of 19 in **Climate change, explained** (ENVR 200), unit "How the climate system works". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Compare natural climate forcings (solar output and volcanic activity) with human emissions as candidate drivers of recent warming.
- Apply the Three-Test Framework - does a candidate driver fit the timing, the magnitude, and the pattern (fingerprint) of today's observed warming? - to weigh each candidate.
- Use the three tests to identify which drivers can explain recent warming and which cannot, naming the test each failing driver fails.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 7 complete: Natural vs. human drivers."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "The fingerprint of modern warming" (lesson 8 of 19), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/climate-change-explained/the-fingerprint-of-modern-warming.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: The carbon cycle: where carbon goes
Next lesson: The fingerprint of modern warming