Edim wrote to me:
>Dave, it’s too simple (simpletone) and not valid from a physics perspective. CO2 may reduce emmisions from Earth in the IR, but there’s evaporation/convection to balance the radiation input, at least to a degree.
Yes, I know that, and so does everyone else. Yes, the first-order effect from CO2 does indeed produce various second-order effects — convection, increased water vapor in the atmosphere, etc. Everyone agrees those feedback loops matter, and as I have said many times, my “gut feeling” is that the negative feedback loops predominate. As I have also said, I do not consider my gut to be scientific proof.
You said you have some background in engineering: in that case, you should know that negative feedbacks normally reduce the magnitude of a disturbance, but do not actually reverse its sign.
That’s *all* I am saying: the initial effect of the increased CO2 is to warm the planet slightly, the feedbacks kick in, and then it gets really messy. Probably, you still get some warming — maybe very little, maybe a fair amount.
Dave