Feedbacks
Loops in which an output returns to influence the process that produced it, either damping it or amplifying it.
Why it matters now
Every climate risk and every climate solution is a feedback. Melting ice darkens the surface and accelerates melting; cheaper solar panels raise deployment, which lowers cost further. The first loop is the danger and the second is the opportunity, and both obey the same mathematics. Building reinforcing loops for good outcomes is the most leveraged work available.
Where this is happening on Earth
- ArcticIce-albedo feedback across the Arctic OceanRetreating white ice exposes dark water, absorbing more heat and accelerating retreat.
- GlobalLearning curves in solar photovoltaicsEach doubling of cumulative production has cut cost by roughly a fifth for five decades running.
- South AmericaAmazon moisture recyclingThe forest generates much of its own rainfall, so clearance reduces the rain the remaining forest needs.
- AsiaGroundwater depletion and pump subsidies in Punjab, IndiaCheap power drives extraction, which deepens wells, which raises pumping demand.
- AfricaVegetation-rainfall coupling in the SahelRestored ground cover increases local humidity and infiltration, supporting further regrowth.
The idea itself
The encyclopedia entry first, then live searches at journals and magazines that keep returning current work on this specific idea.
Current reporting from around the world
Standing feeds at reputable periodicals. These stay fresh on their own, which is why they are here instead of a list of articles that would be out of date within a season.