Energy in from the sun and energy out is the basic climate science, but at too high of a level to be useful.
The important measurements are the temperature at certain locations, at a certain distance from the surface, that unfortunately include:
The important measurements are the temperature at certain locations, at a certain distance from the surface, that unfortunately include:
... too many infilled, guessed numbers,
adjustments to raw measured data,
later revisions to adjusted data,
an averaging process ...
plus about 4.5 billion years with no real time measurements.
The result is far from perfect accuracy and we have no clue what a "normal" or optimum global average temperature is ...
along with the issue that not one person lives in the average global temperature.
Meaning that if the climate ever causes problems, the problems will be from changes in local climates, which may, or may not, affect the global average temperature.
Since the planet is always cooling or warming, the energy in from the sun, versus energy out, is never in balance.
Such a high level equation does not answer the question of whether people have been affected negatively or positively by the climate change in their lifetimes.
Our planet has been warming for the past 20,000 years. (I'll skip over the Holocene Optimum, 5,000 to 9,000 years ago, not sure if it was warmer than today.)
In my opinion, all of the warming in the past 20,000 years was good news for animals, humans and plants on this planet.
The key question is whether a little more global warming in the future will continue to be good news.
Our planet has been warming for the past 20,000 years. (I'll skip over the Holocene Optimum, 5,000 to 9,000 years ago, not sure if it was warmer than today.)
In my opinion, all of the warming in the past 20,000 years was good news for animals, humans and plants on this planet.
The key question is whether a little more global warming in the future will continue to be good news.
No one knows for sure, but I can't see how another +1 degree C. of warming in the next 50 to 100 years would be bad news at all.