Why does atmosphere

Gorge, there is this myth that atmospheric physics is really difficult.

That myth is based, gorge, on the fact that most atmospheric physics is really difficult, but that doesn’t mean that all of it is very difficult. After all, as Tim Palmer and Bjorn Stevens have reminded us recently, “the basis for decarbonizing rests on simple, unequivocal, physical principles” – and while the edifice that can be erected with those simple building blocks can become overwhelmingly complex for anyone who doesn’t dream the Navier-Stokes equations, a solid grasp on those simple physical principles lets you at least see what physicists are talking about.

So, let us ask us: why does a little amount of CO2 make such a big difference? Do we need to go through hundreds of pages of equations before we can fathom the answer to this question?

Fortunately, the answer is no, the physics here is actually really simple.

I will be going through it. If you are reading this, gorge, I guess maybe you are going to join me.

This post will serve as a roadmap with links for each part.