Climate change is actually Climate System Change 

Oceans

The largest component by far is the oceans, which ultimately determine ​​the climate and climate change.

GHG emissions cause damaging ocean heating, acidification and deoxygenation. 

Inertia

The climate system is characterized by enormous inertia, which implies enormous momentum.

Slowing climate change is like slowing the Titanic.

One example of inertia is that global warming will last over a thousand years, as will ocean heat, sea level rise.

Lag times  

Due to ocean heat inertia, there is a lag from global warming emissions to global temperature effect.

Most of the temperature increase happens in 10 years, after which it takes hundreds of years for the full effect.

Long lag for policy  

The IPCC AR6 says following a best-case powerful mitigation it takes 20-30 years for the global temperature to respond

​Inertias contribute to committed future higher degrees of climate change (commitment to more warming) 

For policy making it is essential to apply committed warming- not today's warming in estimating mitigation.

 The science makes it clear that constantly increasing atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions  is inherently catastrophically dangerous to all future life (land and oceans), due to enormous sources of amplifying feedback.

Fossil Fuels The environmental ​​health issue of fossil fuels is both toxic air pollution and atmospheric GHG pollution.

​Global warming is actually global surface heating- heat energy is being added to the lower atmosphere, by GHGs. The heating is from the enhanced greenhouse effect.  

The basic science is the greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect, of global warming  

The greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect, of global warming.  
​Global surface warming is what happens when increased GHGs trap increasing heat energy in the lower atmosphere.

Rhat's actually global climate system heating. Most of the heat  (90%)goes straight to the oceans, with global surface warming a small amount that gets released from the oceans. 

The sources ​​of the greenhouse ​emissions.

​Sources fall into two main general categories- industrial age energy production ​and food production.

Aspects of greenhouse gas emissions

o GHG emissions cause global warming – global average increase ​​in the surface temperature.
o Global radiative forcing (heating) is the net heat energy added to the planet.

   It is the best indicator of global change, as it increases steadily, and indicates future warming as well the present.
o Global warming cases climate change​​
​​o GHG emissions add heat AND energy to the lower atmosphere, warming & energizing it.
o Global warming increases water vapor in the air, which has the largest greenhouse effect due its great atmospheric abundance.
o Increased energy and water vapor ​lead to torrential rains and floods
​o Atmospheric GHGs are trace gases in tiny amounts - so very powerful greenhouse warming agents.
o GHGs (re) Radiate heat from the Earth in the lower atmosphere, warming the surface​ of the Earth
o ​​​They are long lasting (in the atmosphere) ​- especially CO2 and nitrous oxide (N2O)
o A large proportion of CO2 lasts 1000 years, on average CO2 emissions last about 200 years (CDIAC)
o CO2 emissions are persistent (in the atmosphere and hence

o Cumulative ​- a constant addition of long lasting CO2 will build up rapidly, increasing the atmospheric CO2 concentration
o GHG emissions are constantly produced by fossil fuel energized industrial manufacturing and services​

o Emissions and all of their effects are increasing abruptly in terms of geological time and in terms of the existence of humans.  

The Planet’s  thermostat

The three main greenhouse gases are naturally produced by planet Earth and are the planet's thermostat, swinging the climate in and out of ice ages and warm interglacials, CO2 being the main thermostat. This shows they are very powerful. 

Trace gases

We also know they are very powerful because they are 'trace' gases existing in tiny atmospheric concentrations ​of parts per million for CO2 (ppm) and parts per billion (ppb) for methane and nitrous oxide.

Without atmospheric GHGs the Earth's surface would be frozen, 30 °C cooler than today.

This is recorded in the ice cores ​

The IPCC AR6 shows the emissions have been increasing for all and each of the GHGs, and continue as fast as ever.

Aspects of greenhouse gases, by their science

Each greenhouse gas has a particular quality that increases the danger of its emission.

​​CO2 Carbon dioxide is regarded as lasting in the atmosphere for 100 years. However, it is extremely persistent because 20% of emissions last in the atmosphere for 1000 (one thousand) years. Its main source is fossil fuels, next is deforestation.

​​Methane CH4 lasts in the atmosphere for 12 years, but the emissions of methane carry on global warming longer than 12 years. This is because methane disappears over 12 years because it is converted to other greenhouse gases, notably water vapor and carbon dioxide.

Methane is an very potent global warming gas. Its global warming effect (global warming potential) is 100 times that of carbon dioxide for 10 years after emission and 70 times that of carbon dioxide for 20 years after its emission.

Another dangerous aspect of methane emission, which is unique to methane, is that the more methane is poured into the atmosphere the longer subsequent emissions last in the atmosphere.

​​Nitrous oxide N2O is extremely persistent in the atmosphere lasting at least 100 years. Over this period of time its global warming effect is 300 times that of carbon dioxide. It is now the top stratospheric ozone depleter.

These are the three main global warming greenhouse gases being constantly emitted.

Industrial civilization is a source of other greenhouse gases too (shown on the IPCC emissions image).

F-gases  (halocarbons) include the most potent global warming and the longest lasting of all greenhouse gases, and though in small concentrations they are increasing the fastest.

​​Surface ozone. Ground level (tropospheric) ozone. Ground level ozone is a result of fossil fuel ambient air pollution. It is formed by a chemical reaction in the air catalyzed by ambient heat and sunlight, and therefore its concentration increases with global warming. It is toxic to plant health as well as to human health. As a result, the increased concentration of ground-level ozone with global warming will damage agricultural crops. It will also reduce the capacity of planetary vegetation to take up carbon dioxide from the air, and this is projected to constitute a significant carbon feedback (by which global warming gives rise to more warming).

Microplastics

A new emission is the worst of all.

Microplastics are ubiquitous and science has recently discovered that they have properties that increase global warming 

They are a fossil fuel product - petrochemical

Effects of GHG emissions

The effects of GHG emissions on the planet and life on Earth are multiple and profound