ABSTRACT
This chapter lays out the basic science of climate change. The goal is to provide the reader with an up-to-date account of where things stand regarding the physical science of anthropogenic climate change. We start with an explanation of the greenhouse effect, moving next to projections of the effects of climate change in four areas of concern: heat waves, droughts, wildfires, sea-level rise and extreme precipitation events. Following this, we will see what impacts these effects will have on human and non-human systems. We close with some brief reflections on the nature of ethical scientific communication.
