• climate change,  Gary,  publications

    Complex systems science whitepaper (excerpts)

    There are numerous, in-depth reports about climate change from scientific communities and governmental committees.  Some of the most prominent are listed at the end of this paper.  Many reports detail the causes and outcomes of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) and rising atmospheric temperatures.  Others, such as the 2018 special report by the IPCC, provide detailed scenarios for potential mitigation (slowing or ceasing CO2 emissions within given timeframes) and interventions (such as removing CO2 from the atmosphere.)  Due to the extent of existing climate science, this paper will focus on issues related to next steps, particularly with respect to human use of energy.  What would it mean to cease use of fossil…