Confessions of a Climate Scientist

Abstract:Human beings live on a planet with mostly water at the surface, and that water takes decades to warm up or cool off. That means what one generation does to change climate—such as add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere—the next generation must live with. The impacts of climate change are substantial and growing. Natural scientists need to pay attention to the social sciences and the humanities, as climate change has a clear societal impact and a policy solution is required to address climate change. Humans are causing climate change, and humans must fix that, and our capacity to choose a destructive path at the expense of future generations requires an understanding of more than the natural sciences. Today, we have interdisciplinary environmental degrees and a stated adherence to a liberal arts education. Until one generation is willing to forego short-term gains for the long-term benefit of its children, we won't be able to address climate change.