What if clouds could influence the future of the climate?

What if the future of climate depends on clouds?

Thursday on Europe 1, our columnist Fanny Agostini explains the impact they could have on terrestrial temperatures in the years to come, and why it is crucial today to bank on scientific research in this area.

Clouds are great regulators of the climate of which too little is said.

We should however give a boost to research in this area.

Because in the hotter climate towards which we are going, there will be more evaporation and condensation and therefore a priori more "cumulification", as meteorologists say, ie more clouds.

Their multiplication could have a decisive impact on the rise or fall of the thermostat in the years to come.

"Cover effect" or "parasol effect"

Depending on their characteristics, clouds will either warm or cool the climate.

Low clouds, for example, will block infra-red radiation: the heat stored on Earth will not be able to be returned to space because it is blocked by this type of cloud.

We then speak of the "cover" effect, the famous greenhouse effect.

In this case, the climate is warming up.

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On the contrary, the high altitude clouds have a "parasol" effect: they will act as a veil that obscures us and the Sun.

They will therefore overshadow us by reducing the radiation that arrives on Earth.

This could guarantee us an appreciable climate, or in any case viable for the years to come.

Self-regulation, too risky a bet

The problem is, we are not able to model the climate so finely to predict what the clouds will hold for us in the years to come.

The risk is therefore too great to bet on a possible climate self-regulation.

Whatever the case, stopping fossil fuels remains a major priority, if only for reasons of air quality and therefore public health.