"In Africa we have a special concern about abrupt climate change," said atmospheric scientist Kerry Cook, "because we know from the records of past climate that it’s possible for climate to change abruptly in this region."
It's correct that water vapor is the most important greenhouse gas, says Dessler, but "it's not correct to think that therefore carbon dioxide is not important."
He pointed out that plastics have been around for less than 100 years. In that short time span, no group of microorganisms has evolved that is capable of biodegrading plastics.
"It's vitally urgent that we reduce emissions as fast as possible and prepare to adapt to changes that will be inevitable because of climate change that is already underway," says Lubchenco.
"In many ways, the questions that are still outstanding about what causes ice ages are extremely relevant for also understanding our current situation," says Huybers.