Andrew Dessler writes:

One of the most important concepts in climate science is the idea of committed warming — how much future warming is coming from carbon dioxide that we’ve already emitted.

Understanding the extent of committed warming is vital because it informs our current climate situation. If there is a significant amount of committed warming already “locked in,” then we have much less ability to avoid the levels of warming that policymakers judge as dangerous.

In a previous post about what made me optimistic about the climate problem, I wrote:

When humans stop emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the climate will stop warming.

I received emails and comments from people who found that difficult to believe, so I thought I’d write a post about why this is true and shed light on the reasons behind the controversy surrounding it. [Continue reading…]