global warming, not what the media says

[kandrathe]

The water cycle is of course different than the CO2 cycle.

Two important parts that are interrelated, but also not the only systems involved. The climate has and will always be changing. We have for the past 150 years been contributing to that forcing. I'm an optimist when it comes to "nature" dealing with this change, however, it balances things over eons, not decades or even centuries. Will we kill ourselves off? I don't think it is likely. We may experience a century(ies) of a more energetic atmosphere which may be grievous for places vulnerable to thunderstorms or cyclonic storms. But, there are some wins too in having more warmth on the planet, and less frozen wastelands. We can expect warmer springs, more humid summers and longer growing seasons with two or three plantings instead of one or two. In the US Midwest, over the past 30 years we've seen a 13 percent increase in overall relative humidity. Many places that use fuel to heat homes and work places will consume less, which may be somewhat offset by more places needing summer cooling.

The real (fear) question I have is what our climate will look like when we get to that inevitable state where we are at a radiative maximum (maximal solar activity, closer to the sun, and high amounts of vapor, CO2, and aerosols). I tend to be an optimist in that I believe the natural systems will be corrective and hopefully subtle.

The trouble is that our global CO2 emissions continue to grow at 3.1% per year. A modern equivalent to the legend of Nero fiddling while Rome burns.