Shortwave radiation passes largely unimpeded through the atmosphere. It strikes the ground and warms it. The warmed ground emits longwave radiation, some of which is absorbed by greenhouse gases, causing the atmosphere to warm.

If there were no greenhouse gases, almost all of the surface heat would radiate back into space without warming the atmosphere. A small amount of heat would transfer kinetically directly at the ground surface, but the atmosphere would be very cold. This is basically what happens in Antarctica, where there are very few greenhouse gases.

How could a weather model possibly work without a radiative transfer model which models the greenhouse effect?

The amount of energy leaving the planet is nearly identical to the amount of solar energy being received. (Radioactive decay in the interior of the Earth makes the outgoing number slightly larger.)

Without greenhouse gases, the surface heat would immediately radiate back into space, and the atmosphere would be very cold. Greenhouse gases impede the return of energy to space. In other words they act as an insulator. They absorb photons of certain wavelengths, excite the molecules, and heat them. Many of these excited molecules then pass the heat on to neighboring molecules.

Because of these insulators known as greenhouse gases restricting the energy flow, in order to maintain energy equilibrium, the temperature has to rise near the surface – because heat flow is proportional to the difference in temperature. Increased temperature near the surface causes increased LW radiation, increased conduction, and increased convection – all needed to maintain equilibrium.

It…

The U. S. is touting a breakthrough climate deal with China.  China has to be laughing at our stupidity. 

Global warming will SPEED UP after a pause, scientists warn: Climate temperature could rise faster than expected

University of Washington and MIT scientists say Earth’s warming will pause

It has been paused for 18 years, but these geniuses are just now figuring it out.

But it will then undergo a rapid rise due to the amount of emitted CO2

They predicted a rapid rise 18 years ago.

As the icecaps melt, more high-energy solar rays will be absorbed, which means that climate change will continue unabated

Global sea ice area hasn’t changed for 35 years.

Earth will experience a switch from long-wave to short-wave radiation

That would require about 10,000 degrees warming – within the range of Hansen’s high end forecasts.

Global warming will SPEED UP after a pause, scientists warn | Daily Mail Online

NERC says there is not enough time to implement the 2020 objectives for the clean power plan. 

So let’s see, no emissions, but did they talk to Mother Gaia?

The UN says that global warming is melting the polar ice caps and threatens to swamp coastal regions

Climate change fight affordable, cut emissions to zero by 2100-UN

Without extra efforts to cut emissions, “warming by the end of the 21st century will bring high risks of severe, widespread, and irreversible impacts globally,” the IPCC said.

“Irreversible” could mean, for instance, a runaway melt of Greenland’s vast ice sheets that could swamp coastal regions

UPDATE 1-Climate change fight affordable, cut emissions to zero by 2100-UN | Reuters

Scientists said almost exactly the same thing in 1952, in almost exactly the same words.

POLAR ICE THAW INCREASING GLACIERS SAID TO BE MELTING

CLEVELAND, Feb. 16 (A.A.P.) Dr. William S. Carlson, an Arctic expert, said to-night that the Polar icecaps were melting at an astonishing and unexplained rate and were threatening to swamp seaports by raising the ocean levels.

18 Feb 1952 – POLAR ICE THAW INCREASING…

Anthony Watts’s post Meh, same old ‘gloom and doom’ from the IPCC over new climate report at WattsUpWithThat prompted this one.  I started to write a comment on that thread that began with, The IPCC is nothing more than a… and I went on from there, trying with some success to limit my word count. But I didn’t post it.  I figured it would make for a great topic of discussion all by itself, with everyone adding their own continuation to that preface.

So to start the ball rolling, here’s what I came up with.