Characterizing climate change from heating, not merely temperature

The increasing greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, lead to Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI), altering the flow of energy through the climate system, and the dissemination of excess energy is partly what determines how climate change is manifested.

Some of the extremes being experienced, especially those involving drought, convection, storms, flooding, and the water cycle, are mostly driven by aspects of heating and, while temperature contributes through the water-holding capacity of the atmosphere, it is more a consequence than a cause. Afterall, water is the air conditioner of the planet. The United Nations, and especially the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in their Summary for Policy Makers, focus on global temperature targets rather than broader facets of climate change including EEI, and do not always adequately discriminate between temperature and heating.