The “science” is not understood by most people. Most get it wrong. In fact, the term “greenhouse effect” is misleading as the physics of why a greenhouse stays warm is different than the physics in the theory of anthropogenic warming. For the record, there has been anthropogenic warming. This is indisputable. Exactly how much is hard to say - probably not a lot. It is difficult to know exactly where we are since some surface observations have been homogenized. Anthropogenic warming is also a permutation on the longer time scale natural climate variability. For example, we are still in an interglacial period and will continue to experience warming. So, here is the exact science and the theory. Increases in CO2, from whatever source, impact the net longwave radiative loss to space. This is pretty well understood and can be calculated with some precision. However, this will not cause enough warming to be of concern. This warming must produce a positive feedback on the atmospheric/oceanic system to force enough additional warming, to be of concern. This is what climate models attempt to simulate. A climate model is a computer program that integrates the equations that describe the atmospheric, oceanographic, and land properties forward in time. The problem is that, in my opinion, the models are still a research effort and not ready for use as a tool for developing public policy. The models have had some issues with anomalous warming in the mid tropospheric equatorial regions during retrospective runs. There is no guarantee that the models have the physics correct. The interactions are subtle. For example, if you create some initial warming then the atmosphere can hold more moisture and this can result in more clouds that reflect more solar radiation and lead to cooling. But the clouds will also impact the longwave radiation and lead to warming. In the atmosphere, negative feedbacks are the norm: you “push” the system and it rebounds instead of amplifying the initial “push”. You have to believe that positive feedbacks are dominant over negative feedbacks to have faith in climate model predictions of significant anthropogenic warming. So, why have so many people pushed the panic button? One possibility is that the climate model simulations are correct, to some degree. I suspect we will wind up on the lower limit of the projections, as a worst case scenario, and man will adapt, as he always has. Another possibility is the political angle. I’ll let others expand on that.
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Originally Posted by coralway
You must be new here.
To grasp global warming, you have to believe in science - this is The Villages where 95% of the posters here obtained their degrees from that esteemed institution of learning, Trump University.
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