"A Broader View of the Role of Humans in the Climate System is Required In the Assessment of Costs and Benefits of Effective Climate Policy

Summary The human addition of CO2 into the atmosphere is a first-order climate forcing. We need an effective policy to limit the atmospheric concentration of this gas. However, humans are significantly altering the climate system in a diverse range of ways in addition to CO2. The information that I am presenting will assist in properly placing CO2 policies into the broader context of climate policy. Climate is much more than just long term weather statistics but includes all physical, chemical and biological components of the atmosphere, oceans, land surface and glacier covered areas. In 2005, the National Research Council published a report "Radiative forcing of climate change: Expanding the concept and addressing uncertainties" that documented that a human disturbance of any component of the climate system, necessarily alters other aspects of the climate.