Critical Issues for the Global Climate

This presentation covers the science of Earth's "energy budget" of heat inputs and losses, and describes the overall climate system. It continues with a description of the Industrial Age, the introduction of direct temperature measurement, and the resulting temperature rise from burning fossil fuels. This is followed by a description of how Greenhouse Gases operate on a molecular level, the increase since the pre-industrial period, and the carbon cycle. After this, human activity and projections are considered, followed by changes to species' habitats and the possibility of an Anthropocene Extinction Event, then energy trajectories and future global policy directions. Concluding remarks identify climate change as a critical issue and one subject to "race conditions", and note that the policy route, whilst necessary, is currently falling short of requirements.

This was a presentation to Future Day 2026, March 2-4. A transcript is provided along with the accompanying slide deck.

Transcript:
http://levlafayette.com/files/2026FutureDayGlobalClimateTranscript.pdf

Slides:
http://levlafayette.com/files/2026FutureDay_GlobalClimate.pdf

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-bAZ4NVhCM