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{{Short description|Effect on the Earth's climate from slow orbital changes}}
'''Orbital forcing''' is the effect on [[climate]] of slow changes in the tilt of the [[Earth]]'s axis and shape of the Earth's [[orbit]] around the Sun (see [[Milankovitch cycles]]). These orbital changes modify the total amount of sunlight reaching the Earth by up to 25% at mid-latitudes (from 400 to 500 W/(m<sup>2</sup>) at latitudes of 60 degrees).{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}
This mechanism is believed to be responsible for the timing of the [[ice age]] cycles. A strict application of the Milankovitch theory does not allow the prediction of a "sudden" ice age (sudden being anything under a century or two), since the fastest orbital period is about 20,000 years. The timing of past glacial periods coincides very well with the predictions of the Milankovitch theory, and these effects can be calculated into the future.
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