Uncertainty About Future Climate Change
Geography: KS3, topic 12.1.8
Uncertainty About Future Climate Change
The number of factors that affect the Earth's climate is very large and they all interact. This is called a 'complex' system. Complex systems are very hard to predict.
Uncertainty over emissions
- We don't know what technologies could produce more efficient energy in the future.
- 100 years is a long time to predict over.
- We don't know what government agreements could happen.
- We don't know if there could be a catastrophe that could kill billions of people.
Complexity
- The Earth's climate is an extremely complex system, with lots of interacting parts.
- That is why the IPCC uses scenario analysis to illustrate what is possible.
Test yourself on Uncertainty About Future Climate Change
Which of the following best describes the Earth's climate system?
What are the main causes of the uncertainty about future climate change?