Various components necessary for representing the Earth’s climate system. Image source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The subject of climate change evokes visceral and polarizing reactions in supporters and non-supporters alike. There is an abundance of name-calling and low-ball insults coming from both camps that degrades and detracts from the pursuit of scientific knowledge surrounding this issue, and gets in the way of what’s really important – trying to figure out what we should do. Contributing to the lack of rational discussion are widespread misunderstandings about the actual science underpinning much of the controversy and a distrust of the academics who represent the largest repository of climate-related knowledge.

There is much that we still don’t know about how the Earth’s climate works. After all, when scientists use the word ‘climate’, what we’re really talking about is the behavior of the atmosphere, land and oceans, and all the interactions between each of those moving and immovable parts. To put it mildly, it’s a complex system.

But there is also a lot that we do know. And as someone with an above-average understanding of the science involved, I feel that I have a responsibility to help return the issue of climate change to a rational discussion by explaining some of the underlying scientific knowledge and lifting the veil on how climate science is conducted. With just a little more information and some critical thinking, it is my belief that we can remove the venom from the climate change discussion.

Somewhere in northern Texas, a storm is brewing. Photo by Rebecca Gianotti.

To that end, I started a series of articles written specifically for this website called Wading Into the Fire. The aim is to pick a topic each week, break down the basic science and illustrate how that piece of science contributes to the bigger climate picture. These articles are informative but written in a casual, accessible way. My goal is to make the science easy to understand and apply to your own experience, not to transcribe a textbook.

I’m working from the assumption that my reader is intelligent, just uninformed. But if I gloss over something that isn’t obvious, if I move too fast or too slow, please leave me a comment or shoot me an email so I can address it. I want these posts to be informative and your feedback will really help.

Published articles can be accessed from the links below.

My rationale for beginning the Wading Into the Fire series

Prologue: The beginning of a circle

Episode 1: Why you don’t live on a frozen rock

Episode 2: Why it’s always beach weather in the tropics

Episode 3: Summertime thunderstorms

Episode 4: The rainmakers

Episode 5: Linking the water and energy cycles

Episode 6: Climate modelling is a tough gig

Episode 7: All things great and small

Episode 8: What climate science has taught me

Episode 9: Parameterization schemes

Episode 10: Risk and uncertainty

Episode 11: Want to find out more?

Episode 12: Watching our world

Episode 13: The view from above

Episode 14: The view from below