Systems science is the opposite of reductionism. They are both valid ways of studying nature but reductionism does little to help us understand complex systems and often leads us astray. NASA uses systems science to study Earth as an integrated system
Earth system science is the study of how scientific data stemming from various fields of research, such as the atmosphere, oceans, land ice and others, fit together to form the current picture of our changing climate.
Climate scientists separate factors that affect climate change into three categories: forcings, feedbacks, and tipping points.
You will note that their systems approach incorporates a bit of reductionism in order to study the system but with full knowledge of the possible problems from this.
We need to be aware of the tipping points for they are usually points of no return.
When Earth’s climate abruptly moves between relatively stable states.
-
Ocean circulation. As Arctic sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet melt, ocean circulation in the Atlantic may divert the Gulf Stream. This and/or other changes would significantly change regional weather patterns. A change in the Gulf Stream could lead to a significant cooling in Western Europe. This highlights the importance of ocean circulation in maintaining regional climates.
-
Ice loss. Due to the strong positive feedback of the ice albedo, if enough ice melts, causing Earth’s surface to absorb more and more heat, then we may hit a point of no return. Shrinking ice sheets contribute to sea level rise. Many hundreds of millions of people live near a coast, so our ability to predict sea level rise over the next century has substantial human and economic ramifications.
-
Rapid release of methane. Deposits of frozen methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and carbon dioxide lie beneath permafrost in Arctic regions. About a quarter of the Northern hemisphere is covered by permafrost. As the environment warms and the permafrost thaws, these deposits can be released into the atmosphere and present a risk of runaway warming.
We watch as they watch but we do far too little. Science is interesting but it is also our only way of knowing how dangerous a world we have created.