Clyde Burnett, Peak to Peak.  The simple energy balance for planet Earth requires a radiation temperature of 255 K (minus 18 C), but the actual average global temperature is 15 C The discrepancy of 33 C means that the atmosphere is responsible for that much trapping of Earth’s infrared radiation. The planet’s atmospheric trace constituents of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and a few others, with complex rotation and vibration structure, are the greenhouse gases that absorb that much infrared by the greenhouse effect. The Earth’s oceans, which cover 70% of the surface, absorb more than 90% of the trapped downward radiation, yielding evaporated water vapor (H20) as the principal greenhouse gas.

Penn State’s Alley calls the slight heating by others, especially CO2, the thermostat control knob for the heating by H2O. The 280 ppm concentration of CO2 is the normal situation for the global temperature of 15 C.

The population’s increase to seven billion has caused an increase of over 40% of CO2 to 410 ppm and an enhanced greenhouse effect with global warming. Earth now has an energy imbalance; Hansen describes this rate as equivalent to exploding 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs per day. Earth has responded with melting ice, increased sea level and extreme weather.

Consequently, Earth’s global response is becoming more violent, resulting in wind damage, flash floods, raging wildfires and heat-related deaths. The atmospheric 100-year carbon cycle of plant growth and decay results in an irreversible climate change during our lifetimes. The ocean and land carbon cycles are much longer, with potential future impossible climate.
Question: Is this serious?
Answer: Deadly serious!!

Humanity’s environmental melancholia yields little correction to the destructive power production by fossil fuels. Televised media attention to the relatively trivial political mess, and emphasis on consumerism, results in ignorant and immoral complete neglect of climate change.

Our weather systems movement with jet stream guidance has become less predictable due to major Arctic warming and Hadley cell expansion. Expensive adaptation to wildfires, flash floods, tornadoes, and derechos will stress the economy beyond the present average of $250 billion per year.

Our Internet system is expected to fail in 10-15 years as a consequence of coastal flooding. Heat related deaths will increasingly aggravate the post-traumatic stress disorder. (PTSD).

Our personal and societal moves to renewable power have yet to prove sufficient to stabilize our planet’s energy imbalance. The realities of extreme weather and wildfire destruction are only beginning to sink in.

Economic considerations of disaster costs are being ignored. The temptations of propaganda, promises of fossil fuel profiteers, continues to dominate the environmental facts for the less intelligent segments of the public.

While the organized response of governments of Germany, Costa Rica and China are attempting environmental corrections, the general movement to group discussions and activities such as the Nederland group has only begun. We do, however, have prominent examples in “Earth Guardians” and “The Children’s Trust.” They have just won the right to proceed with their case “Juliana v. United States” in a Supreme Court ruling denying the Federal government’s request for dismissal. This group of 21 young people clearly has secured excellent legal and scientific advice. James Hansen, former Director of the NASA Goddard Institute contributed a Declaration in Support of the lawsuit. His granddaughter is a member of the group. See https://features.weather.com/us-climate-change/pennsylvania/

Civilization in general has failed to recognize the ultimate destruction of human habitat on our blue marble home. It is the poor societies that were least responsible and most vulnerable, and our plant and animal support systems may be first to suffer. See photo of my recent visitors.