Climate Change: A Very Short Introduction

by Mark Maslin

Delayed and non-linear response (Figure 30c). In this case, the climate system may have an initial slow response to the GHG forcing but then respond in a non-linear way. This is a real possibility when it comes to climate change if we have underestimated the positive feedback in the system. This scenario can be equated to the car near the top of a hill: it takes some effort and thus time to push the car to the very top of the hill; this is the buffering effect. Once the car has reached the peak, it takes very little effort to push the car over it, and then it accelerates down the hill with or without help. Once it reaches the bottom, the car then continues for some time—the overshoot—and then it slows down of its own accord and settles into a new state.