<p>If one considers the sum total of human heat emissions, especially over the last 3 centuries, the temperature increase over the time period does not seem to be commensurate. What gives? What self regulating mechanisms does earths atmosphere, and even biosphere, have which has ensured the temperature increase to be far lower than would be expected at a superficial level?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-08T23:50:56.870Z
So there isn't any special self-regulating mechanism, just that net energy "disperses", flowing from warm areas to cool areas.  And space is awful "cool".  It's the same reason the Earth doesn't keep heating up more and more from each day's sunlight.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-09T02:55:00.173Z
Put it this way... if you release a reasonable amount of energy to heat your home on a cold winter day, it gets warm... for a little while.  The energy gradually leaves to the colder outdoors.  The impacts of your energy release inside don't last that long, within a matter of days (the number determined by your insulation quality), your house will reach similar mean temperature to the outdoors.  Likewise, that "human-activity" energy from your heating that gets outside also doesn't remain, but leaves to space fairly quickly.
JeopardyTempest
<climate><temperature>
How has the earth's temperature stayed relatively stable despite all the heat released in the atmosphere by humans?
Suraj Pandya
# How has the earth's temperature stayed relatively stable despite all the heat released in the atmosphere by humans?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-01-08)

If one considers the sum total of human heat emissions, especially over the last 3 centuries, the temperature increase over the time period does not seem to be commensurate. What gives? What self regulating mechanisms does earths atmosphere, and even biosphere, have which has ensured the temperature increase to be far lower than would be expected at a superficial level?

**Tags:** climate, temperature

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: So there isn't any special self-regulating mechanism, just that net energy "disperses", flowing from warm areas to cool areas.  And space is awful "cool".  It's the same reason the Earth doesn't keep heating up more and more from each day's sunlight.  
> **username_1**: Put it this way... if you release a reasonable amount of energy to heat your home on a cold winter day, it gets warm... for a little while.  The energy gradually leaves to the colder outdoors.  The impacts of your energy release inside don't last that long, within a matter of days (the number determined by your insulation quality), your house will reach similar mean temperature to the outdoors.  Likewise, that "human-activity" energy from your heating that gets outside also doesn't remain, but leaves to space fairly quickly.  

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## 0 answers

