The changing climate of the Biosphere:

What is it, why does it change, and how does it relate to human civilization?

The Biosphere, defined as the envelope of living processes on Earth, including its products and effects, provides the platform and appropriate context for investigating Earth’s climate and its changes.  Our approach incorporates, as a fundamental concept, the evolutionary history of the biosphere as a primary and inseparable factor in determining the what, how, and why of Climate and Climate Change.  In other words: the climate of earth is a unique product of living processes, and its history of change is intimately connected to the evolution of life.  

Not to be dismissed in the evolutionary history of Earth is the emergence of human civilization, which we take to be a lawful, yet non-linear, continuation of increasing order and complexity of the Earth system.      

Further, we acknowledge the need to situate earth and its climate in the larger context of its existence in our solar system—thus, the role of the sun, as well as the large potential field of galactic and cosmic processes and cycles. Additionally, we acknowledge the chemical and geo-mechanical forces that drive the moment to moment dynamics of earth’s climate.  

From these considerations, and the amazing fact that the human mind can discover these underlying principles and processes, we orient our exploration of earth’s Biosphere and Climate on an axis of optimism.  

We will explore the causes of Climate change, the role of the Biosphere in the evolution of our climate, and the dynamics of the relationship between climate and civilization.  In doing so, we will explore the policies that address our concerns, as well as those policies that further the evolution of the biosphere.  This includes areas such as industrial application of advanced technology and large scale infrastructure that pushes forward the frontiers of science, while improving our role as stewards of the earth. 

Put differently, the question becomes--how do we increase the quality of the human condition, as we historically have through growth and scientific progress, while also increasing the abundance and stability of life on earth in a form consistent with the history of the biosphere’s evolution.

What is Climate Change? See Page:

Earth’s Biosphere: What is the Biosphere?: See Page