The Effects of Co2 Concentration on Climate Sensitivity

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The climate sensitivity is what we call the climate sensitivity How much warming do you get for a doubling of co2 concentrations and our best estimates are that That's probably somewhere in the neighborhood of three degrees Three degrees Celsius. A little less than six degree Fahrenheit warming If you double the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere Pre-industrial levels were about 280 parts per million So we will hit that doubling of about 560 parts per million in a matter of You know a few decades if we continue on the course that we're on. One of the key metrics Of climate change is this so-called climate sensitivity now in a full-blown coupled ocean atmosphere ice sheet The most elaborate climate models you can imagine that

We had our fun last week, exploring how progress in renewable energy and electric vehicles may help us combat encroaching climate change. This week we’re being a bit more hard-nosed, taking a look at what’s currently happening to our climate. Michael Mann is one of the world’s leading climate scientists, and also a dedicated advocate for improved public understanding of the issues. It was his research with Raymond Bradley and Malcolm Hughes that introduced the “hockey stick” graph, showing how global temperatures have increased rapidly compared to historical averages. We dig a bit into the physics behind the greenhouse effect, the methods that are used to reconstruct temperatures in the past, how the climate has consistently been heating up faster than the average models would have predicted, and the relationship between climate change and extreme weather events. Happily even this conversation is not completely pessimistic — if we take sufficiently strong action now, there’s still time to avert the worst possible future catastrophe.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Michael Mann received his Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics from Yale University. He is currently Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University, with joint appointments in the Departments of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute. He is the director of Penn State’s Earth System Science Center. He is the author of over 200 scientific publications and four books. His most recent book is The Tantrum that Saved the World, a “carbon-neutral kids’ book.”

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.