"**Water vapor is by far the most important absorber of outgoing radiation, and hence it is the gas that has been responsible for most of the atmospheric warming in the past and it will remain so in the future**. Water vapor is the principal generator of the natural greenhouse effect—but water vapor is not the cause of atmospheric warming because it does not control atmospheric temperature. In fact, it is the other way around: **the changing temperature determines how much water can be present as a gas** (the humidity of air increases with rising temperatures) **and how much it condenses to liquid** (condensation increases as the temperature drops)." ([Location 3466](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08SGC3TD3&location=3466)) --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[climate-change]], [[contrails]], [[decarbonisation]], **Source** -- [[202412030828 - B - How the World Really Works]]