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All that is insignificant compared to the heat output of a certain nearby star.

The star's output is so significant that even the tiniest change in how that energy is absorbed and retained has large effects on the little planet.

So we find ourselves where we are.

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To elaborate, the solar energy hitting earth is about 1,000 W per square meter near the equator near noon. The total per capita energy consumption in the US is roughly 10,000W. That means that the energy hitting the Mediterranean Sea (or clouds above it) in a single hour in early afternoon is roughly equivalent to the total annual energy needs of about 250 billion people at US per capita energy usage. And The Mediterranean is only about half of one percent of the planet's surface area.

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