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The paleoclimate record shouts to us that, far from being self-stabilizing, the Earth's climate system is an ornery beast which overreacts even to small nudges.
Wallace Smith Broecker
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Earth's climate is sensitive and can change drastically from small influences.

Wallace Smith Broecker's observation highlights the complex and responsive nature of the Earth's climate system. Rather than being stable and predictable, the climate is depicted as a 'beast' that can react strongly to minor changes, emphasizing the importance of understanding and managing these fluctuations to address climate change effectively.

Themes

ClimateClimate ChangePaleoclimateEnvironmentEarth

In practice

Example use cases

During a climate conference as a reminder of the urgency of addressing climate instability.

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