Quantum mechanics plays a crucial, albeit often overlooked, role in our understanding of the Earth's climate. In this talk I use three well known aspects of quantum mechanics to present a simple physical picture of what may happen as the concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide continue to increase. I also utilize some basic astronomy and wave mechanics to decipher historical and paleoclimatic records. I conclude with a personal perspective on the politics versus the science of global warming.
 

Presented at: Boston University, Brandeis University, Brown University, Clark University, Indiana University, Lake Forest College, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Louisiana State University, NSF Workshop on Opportunities in Materials Theory / Georgetown University, Queen's University, Rice University, Roger Williams University, Rutgers University, Simon Fraser University, St. John's College (Annapolis), University of British Columbia, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UCLA, University of Chicago, University of Connecticut, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Massachusetts, University of New South Wales, University of Rhode Island, University of Toronto, and Worcestor Polytechnic Institute.

References For Further Study