The Science of Our Changing Climate

In the first four parts of this book we focused on the first half of its title: the science. We looked at the chemistry of our environment, and how it has been changing. Then we looked at the atmosphere as a physical system, and the basic laws that govern it, and its circulation. In Part III we looked at radiant energy, the ultimate driver of climate, and some of the factors that have at least the potential to alter either the inflow, or the outflow, of that energy. Finally, in Part IV, we pulled the various pieces together, to see how well we understood the climate system. We know that we can build climate models, with various degrees of accuracy, while also understanding their limitations and uncertainties. This understanding is central to good science.