# Climate Science **Domain:** Earth System Science **Doc Type:** Concept Node **Classification:** Infrastructure Concept **Maturity:** Foundational **Related:** [[Climate Modeling]], [[Earth System Science]], [[Scientific Method]], [[Consensus Building]], [[Climate Data]], [[Physical Theory]] --- ## Definition **Climate Science** refers to **the discipline studying Earth's climate system—the long-term patterns of atmospheric temperature, precipitation, wind, and ocean circulation—through observations, physical theory, and computational modeling, seeking to understand climate variability, historical changes, and future projections**. Climate science integrates physics, chemistry, geology, and biology. --- ## General Context Climate science emerged from meteorology and geophysics, becoming a distinct discipline in the 1970s-1980s as concern about anthropogenic climate change grew. The scientific consensus on anthropogenic global warming, established by 1995, has only strengthened. Climate science provides empirical foundation for climate policy, risk assessment, and adaptation planning. Climate science remains contested in political discourse despite scientific consensus, reflecting conflicts between climate policy and economic interests. --- ## Planetary Sensing Context Climate science depends on comprehensive climate data from [[Climate Data Infrastructure]]. [[articles/How Meteorology Climatology and Climate Data Shape the World|Meteorology and Climate Data Shape the World]] describes how climate science informs strategic intelligence. --- ## Key Insight Climate science exemplifies **the authority of quantitative, peer-reviewed knowledge**—but also shows how scientific consensus can be politically contested when findings challenge economic systems. --- ## See Also [[Climate Change]], [[Climate Modeling]], [[Climate Systems]], [[Climate Data Infrastructure]], [[Climate Denial]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “A high rate of extinction raises ethical issues, particularly those involving where our current actions limit what future generations can use or enjoy.” > **— Stuart Pimm**, *2016, Edge Annual Question, “WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST INTERESTING RECENT [SCIENTIFIC”* [[reminders/Extinction/Extinction Limits What Future Generations Can Use or Enjoy by Stuart Pimm|Extinction Limits What Future Generations Can Use or Enjoy by Stuart Pimm]] > “Our planet is in crisis, and we need to mobilize all of our intellectual forces to save it. One solution could lie in building a scientifically literate society in order to survive. There are those who like to believe that the future of life on Earth will continue as it has in the past, but unfortunately for humanity, the natural world around us does not care what we believe. But believing that we can do something to change our situation using our knowledge can very much affect the environment in which we live.” > **— J. Craig Venter**, *2008, Edge Annual Question, “WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT? WHY?”* [[reminders/Scientific Literacy/Scientific Literacy May Be Necessary for Human Survival by J. Craig Venter|Scientific Literacy May Be Necessary for Human Survival by J. Craig Venter]]