climate sensitivity

climate sensitivity (plural climate sensitivities)

1. (sciences, politics) The sensitivity of the Earth's climate to additions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere: the degree of effect that such additions have; a numerical value as a metric thereof; any of various educated estimates for the real (unknown) value.

   equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS)

   Scientists have been modeling and estimating the climate sensitivity for decades, and they try to group their estimates into best-case, worst-case, and likeliest-case categories.

   To speak of the [one true real] climate sensitivity, we must speak of several plausible climate sensitivities and of which ones we consider likeliest.