The Balance Sheet of Earth’s Energy –does it add up?

Temperature ranges from the coldest possible temperature (−273.15 degrees Celsius) to the hottest possible temperature. the highest temperature is tens of thousands of time higher than the hottest temperature on earth. Temperatures on Earth range from -89 °C to 58 °C. Humans cannot live within the whole of this range, but part of it, so when compared with the natural range of temperatures it is clear that we need the very hot sun to warm up the earth in order fo humans to live on most of it. The dynamics of the processes must not only warm the earth but keep it warm between -89 °C to 58 °C, so we need energy to keep the earth warm but the earth must also lose energy so as not to overheat. This is called an energy balance.

Picturing climate change processes and understanding the puzzle

It can be hard to picture things of complexity. The old puzzles about how long it takes if three people dig a hole if A works twice as hard as B but C works 30% of more than A but  goes to have a cup of tea for half an hour etc, need (for most of us) pencil and paper to work out. Even then we often do not get the right answer We cannot easily visualise the processes that happen because they are rather complex. So it is with climate change and that is probably the reason why our leaders and most of us have such a relaxed attitude to it.

What we need to do to predict climate change more accurately

Climate change science is complex and because of its complexity still, in its infancy. There is much that we need to know about the processes that create our climate and change it. Creating the climate that we have is relatively easy to explain. Understanding precisely how when and why it changes is still very uncertain.

Dirty coal

Iowa is right in the middle of the mid west, of America, and is the home state of about three million Americans. You might not have heard of one of the most renowned Iowans but he was born in 1941 and has probably done more than any American to raise awareness about global warming. I write about James E Hansen, a climatologist and scientist.