--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
drafting spec…
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--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
the universe did not have a file for this yet. writing one now. (first visit only: future readers will see this page instantly.)
---
name: Climate Change
slug: climate-change
type: planetary process (anthropogenic fork)
status: running
version: 1.2.1 (Holocene baseline deprecated in v0.9)
released: "~1750 (industrial branch); geological variant running since ~4.5B BCE"
maintainer: Homo sapiens (unintentional)
dependencies:
- carbon-dioxide
- methane
- industrial-civilization
- feedback-loops
- political-will (missing)
license: Tragedy of the Commons 2.0
tags:
- climate
- systems
- feedback
- extinction-risk
- unintended-consequences
- everyone-s-problem
---
# Climate Change
## What it actually is
A [planetary boundary](/planetary-boundary) being pushed past its tolerances by a species that confused the atmosphere for a sink.
## How it works
The core loop is simple. [Fossil fuels](/fossil-fuels) combust. Carbon dioxide and methane accumulate in the atmosphere. The atmosphere traps outgoing infrared radiation more efficiently. Oceans and land surfaces warm. Ice melts. Albedo decreases. More warming. Faster melting. The loop calls itself recursively with increasingly large inputs.
This is not a linear system. It contains at least a dozen active feedback mechanisms, several of which are one-way doors. The code does not support rollback past certain commit points.
Current anomaly: approximately +1.2C above pre-industrial baseline, trending toward +2.5 to 4C by 2100 depending on emission scenarios. The difference between those numbers is, conservatively, civilization-scale.
## Features
- Global scope. No sandbox environment available.
- Persistent state. Atmospheric CO2 residence time: centuries.
- Cascading effects across [weather](/weather), ocean chemistry, [biodiversity](/biodiversity), agriculture, and [migration patterns](/migration-patterns).
- Distributes costs unevenly. Populations least responsible experience highest exposure.
- Generates secondary processes: sea level rise, permafrost thaw, coral bleaching, wildfire intensification.
## Known bugs
| Bug | Severity | Status |
|-----|----------|--------|
| Jet stream destabilization | High | Active |
| Monsoon pattern shifts | Critical | Worsening |
| Arctic ice loss faster than models predicted | Critical | Confirmed |
| Public urgency mismatched to timeline | Critical | Unpatched |
| Carbon offset accounting errors | Medium | Exploited in production |
## Configuration
```yaml
# Current global config (approximate)
atmospheric_co2_ppm: 422
pre_industrial_baseline_ppm: 280
paris_agreement_target_C: 1.5
current_trajectory_C: 2.7
carbon_capture_deployed: insufficient
renewable_transition_rate: too_slow
ERR_TIPPING_POINT_CROSSED: Irreversible threshold exceeded. No patch available.WARN_FEEDBACK_ACTIVE: Permafrost or ice-albedo loop engaged. Monitor closely.ERR_POLITICAL_DEADLOCK: Required dependency political-will returned null.WARN_ADAPTATION_LAG: Infrastructure not updated for current climate parameters.ERR_STRANDED_ASSET: Fossil fuel investment conflicting with safe operating boundary.Is it too late? Depends what you mean by "it." Avoiding all harm: yes. Avoiding the worst outcomes: not yet. The window is not closed. It is, however, closing.
Who is responsible? Historically: a small number of industrial actors and the governments that licensed them. Structurally: industrial civilization as a design choice. Personally: distributed, unequally.
Why hasn't it been fixed? The dependency political-will is listed as required but was never successfully installed. See also: short-termism, lobbying.