From another topic
That could be the hashtag for all climate debates online.
Repeating something that was already on the table doesn’t help. Really, it doesn’t. The IPCC didn’t actually make up the definition, they just adopted it. And then changed it.
In essence it’s about The Radiation Balance. Which is constantly altered by radiative forcings like the intensity of solar energy, reflectivity of clouds or gases, absorption by various greenhouse gases or surfaces, emission of heat by various materials. Any such alteration is a radiative forcing, and causes a new balance to be reached. This happens continuously as sunlight hits the surface, clouds and aerosols form, the concentrations of atmospheric gases vary, and seasons alter the ground cover.
Covering a continent (or the north polar region) with contrails (visible or not) is a forcing. A blanket of ice or water vapor in the stratosphere is a forcing, and like most things it can be calculated what the effect is. Hell, if anybody cared it could actually be measured each day.
Wait, what the fuck are we arguing about today?