YUNOVA · Climate Change & Renewable Energy
Module 11: Climate science in depth
Climate models and SSP scenarios
Key points
- Climate models simulate the atmosphere, ocean, land and ice with physics equations.
- SSP scenarios describe different paths for population, economy and emissions.
- Model results are projections that depend on which scenario is assumed.
IPCC reports and the carbon budget
Key points
- The IPCC assesses published climate science in regular assessment reports.
- A carbon budget is the total CO2 that can be emitted for a given warming limit.
- Remaining budgets are stated with a probability, not as exact amounts.
Climate tipping points
Key points
- A tipping point is a threshold beyond which a system changes in a self-reinforcing way.
- Examples studied include ice sheets, the Amazon rainforest and ocean currents.
- Some tipping changes may be very slow or impossible to reverse.