Deciphering the mystery of global warming: Interpretation of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2021

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2021 was awarded "for groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex systems" with one half jointly to Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann "for the physical modelling of Earth's climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming". The Nobel Committee for Physics emphasized the significance of solving complex real-world issues with physical theories, particularly the evolution of the livable environment of our Earth.

This talk will cover the following aspects:
(i) The physical basis and history of global warming;
(ii) The complexity of the climate system;
(iii) The scientifical history of modelling and predicting the climate system at different scales; and
(iv) The specific contributions by Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann.

The influence of global warming and major strategies to mitigate global warming will be introduced at the end of the talk.