The Mathematics behind Climate Change (Part I)
This is the first part in a multi-part series exploring the mathematics behind climate change and climate change science.
Part I is an introduction to the series & the background behind it.
Less than one month following the publication of my first book, the itch to continue on the path of becoming an influential author and become a voice of advocacy for climate change action has increased.

When writing The Influence of Man, I decided to dedicate two chapters to humankind’s influence on the accelerated existential threat of rapid climate change and quantifying the factors that contribute to it. The calling to continue on the path of knowledge and critical analysis of the science at play in climate change has prompted the start of immediate work on my second book. More on that to come when the time is right…
It has also prompted additional materials be created in the interim to discuss and review the analysis I have in mind.
That said, I must continue upon the foundation and the mathematical model I introduced in Chapter VII of The Influence of Man; Foundational Climatologic Destruction (F.C.D) & Rates of Concern.
This then begs the question… what will I discuss in the second book building upon that foundation — and what will I post of in this ongoing series? Great questions…
A few topics come to mind. Note that is not an exhaustive list, & it will likely grow as I continue on this work in my spare time. But, in short, I will be examining the following in depth… (in no particular order)
- Scale of industries
- Gaseous bi-products created from human activity
- Atmospheric make up
- Thermodynamics at play
- Analysis of thermal properties
- Volume indicators & assumptions
- Peer discussions
- Ideation of additional components to explore
These have likely been explored by others before and are likely being examined by others now. But, as climate change stands to be a multi-generational battle against mass complacency… the more eyes, minds, and advocates working on this, the better off we are.
The next question I find myself asking, & likely what others will ask of me as well, is what makes me qualified to explore these subjects and quantitively analyze them? An even greater question… after all, the last time I took a course that was 100% dedicated to mathematics was my senior year of high school. So, why me? And why should I seek to continue to explore the mathematics of climate change science?
A couple of reasons…
- Sincere interest and a passion for complex problem solving. The effects of climate change will likely be some of the greatest existential threats we will ever face — sans nuclear proliferation, cosmic incident, AI take over, or alien invasion — as such, I should hope to have a portion of my life’s work tie into the solutions.
- Scientific background. My college education and degree is within the field of kinesiology, or the study of human movement and the dynamic bodily systems guiding to a state of homeostasis. Complex interrelation of systems is fun journey to understanding and identifying which levers influence what outcomes — thus I will extrapolate that foundational understanding to gain insight into climate change science and atmospheric influencers from human made activities. The goal here is to have concrete solutions mapped to culprits of climate change, with quantifiably explainable desired outcomes.
- Despite the last time I took a course 100% dedicated to mathematics being nearly a decade ago… it was the area of academia in which I enjoyed most. For what it’s worth, I did well. After all, I received 16 hours of college credit before even receiving my college acceptance letters, thanks to the dual-enrollment program (The benefits of taking pre-calculus and calculus AP at the same time). It looks like I will have to break out the ole TI-84 Plus to work on these concepts properly.
- Data analysis and solution curation is my day job, so it makes sense to identify and better define the mathematics behind climate change using this skill set.
I will do my best to not throw a desk out of a window like our dear friend Russell Crowe from A Beautiful Mind, though.
I hope you are intrigued by what you have read, will like what you learn, and will be inspired to act. If you have enjoyed reading, be sure to share with your friends and recommend the reading — and support me by reading my first book! Cheers to the climb.
(Part II will focus on thermal properties)
Thanks for reading!
-Matthew A. Gallagher
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The Influence of Man is available in ebook, paperback, & hardcover versions on Amazon. Copies can be purchased here→ (http://amzn.to/2tISct2): Prime Eligible.
The Influence of Man is an 82-page non-fiction book by 25-year-old debut author, Matthew A. Gallagher, covering today’s most controversial topics — providing thought-provoking perspectives and valuable insights.
The book, while concise, is dense and covers a variety of topics ranging from divisive ‘isms’ like racism/sexism/classism, archaic ideologies of oppression which helped shaping the society we know today and their irrelevance in a modern, progressive society, to explaining the basics of climate change science through analogous lenses and mathematical models, and more.
For additional inquiries, Matthew can reached via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/matthewagallagher, via Twitter @Mgallagher_I, or via email.
