Jenkinson 1

October 7, 2019

Indeterminate Future
The Relationship Between Quantum Mechanics and Climate Change

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to evaluate climate change and how it is an urgent problem with

widespread negative implications. The interaction of subatomic particles and concepts of quantization of

energy allows for a deeper understanding of climate change. If you were to look at sunlight separated by a

prism you will see dark gaps in which bands of color went missing and this is because before reaching our

eyes, different gases absorb those specific parts of the light spectrum. I will dive into the quantum realm

when I explore why certain gases absorb certain colors of light and also when I investigate how social

constructs relates to climate change. Whether in relation to the uncertainty principle, or to different

approaches to global economics and world resource problems, the social world in which climate change

responses are negotiated, and enacted is ultimately deterministic. I believe that our future is not

deterministic and there may be hope for social change and motivation to act on the climate crisis. I will

consider what a quantum model might offer to understandings of the response to climate change.
 Jenkinson 2
Introduction

There is constant tension and a struggle between different views on the impact of climate change

relating to economic growth and resources. One consists of a mentality that in the future humans will

adapt readily to the rise to global temperature and it will benefit society economically with endless land to

graze and oceans of oil and gas for drilling. The other view suggests that “there will be constraints for

people and natural systems from which they depend” (Gardner, 2018). Economic development will

inevitably be limited by the depletion of resources, and overpopulation. Global warming poses threats to

ecosystems, and these threats will put human civilization at risk as well. The loss of systems that can not

adapt quickly, such as forests and coral reefs and the breakdown of vital human support systems,

threatens economic profit from earth’s resources. Quantum social theory draws attention to people as the

solution to climate change which compels us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change can be

explained by quantum mechanics. After a carbon dioxide molecule absorbs an infrared photon it will fall

back to its previous energy level and spit a photon back out in a random direction. Some of that energy

then returns to earth’s surface causing warming. The more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the more

likely that infrared photons will land back on earth and change our climate.
 Jenkinson 3
Climate change will affect the fundamental systems of life and sustainability. Climate change can

we explained by optics and waveforms. Photons or particles of matter produce a wave pattern when two

slits are introduced.

Figure 1: https://plus.maths.org/content/physics-minute-double-slit-experiment-0

Young’s double slit experiment demonstrates and proves that light and matter can display characteristics

of waves. A molecule needs to gain a certain amount of energy and it requires those various energy levels

from light. Molecules absorb light in the form of waves for energy and every atom and molecule have a

set number of possible energy levels to shift its electrons from a ground state to a higher level. Energy in

the form of “light consists of tiny particles called photons and the amount of energy in each photon

corresponds to its colours” (Lea, 2017). Sunlight offers all photons of the rainbow so a gas molecule can

choose the photons that carry the exact amount of energy needed to shift the molecule to its next energy

level. When the match is made, the photon disappears, and the molecule gains energy and we get a small

gap in rainbow. If a photon carries too much or too little energy the molecules lets it fly past.

Problem Statement
 Jenkinson 4

When it comes to global warming and climate change we must explore what photons carbon

dioxide prefers. The pollutant does not absorb light directly from the sun, it absorbs light from earth.

Furthermore, earth does not emit visible light it emits infrared light.

Figure 2: http://www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/module-2/radiation-sun.php

Earth emits infrared radiation because every object with a temperature over absolute 0 will emit light or

thermal radiation. The hotter an object gets, the higher frequency the light it emits. An example of this is

heating pieces of iron. The iron will emit more and more frequencies of infrared light until it gets hot

enough and the light becomes visible. The piece of iron will glow red and then white when all frequencies

of visible light come together. Earth’s infrared radiation would escape into space if there were not

greenhouse gases molecules in our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases match with

infrared photons. They provide the right amount of energy to shift the gas molecules into their higher

energy levels.
 Jenkinson 5

Description of Solution

The first step to solving climate change is understanding the fundamentals of social constructs at

a quantum level. Quantum mechanics involving “social theory, comes into play when considering how

concepts, methods, and understandings from quantum physics relates to societal issues” (Biello, 2017).

Quantum social theory supports many relationships between social structures and how people perceive

climate change. Examining through a social lens, quantum concepts such as uncertainty, superposition

and entanglement provides a strong basis for recognizing and promoting people as the solution to climate

change and it guides them to a conclusion.

Quantum mechanics supports an explanation for climate change but also explains the solution as

well because when we completely understand how people perceive climate change, we can utilize

ourselves to think towards a solution. Drawing inspiration from quantum physics, innovative management

thinker Danah Zohar “argued that a mechanistic worldview has led to problems from inequality to climate

change, and that we need to shift to a quantum perspective which incorporates effects such as uncertainty

and entanglement”. I agree with Danah because she offers a powerful quantum model for efficient

thinking and sustainable practice. The social constructs we must comprehend include quantum physics

concepts such as the uncertainty and superposition principle. It is often said that scientific ideas about

climate change spread throughout society in many different forms and change the way people think on a

basic level. “The works of Descartes and Newton lead to beliefs that the universe is deterministic and that

everything moves ahead like clockwork and we are all heading irretrievably towards our own fate”

(Pavlic 4). I disagree with this ideology because I believe that no matter how close we push the climate
 Jenkinson 6
towards a tipping point of destruction, we can work towards a different situation. Just like it is impossible

to tell where an electron is exactly, or how much energy it has, there is no certainty in our future.

In quantum mechanics, particles such as electrons can become entangled so that a measurement

on one instantly affects the state of the other. In quantum social science, people are similarly entangled,

whether through language, through actual physical processes. Individuals are never completely separable

but are intertwining components of society and this is key in order to tackle climate change. In

understandings of quantum physics, a particle is described by a wave function, and its position is only

discovered through a measurement that collapses the wave function to one of a number of allowed states.

In quantum social science, mental states can be explained as states that possibly collapse only when a

judgement or decision is made. One result of wave function collapse in physics is that a measurement

affects the system being studied, and therefore any future measurement. Similarly, in social science, the

order effect, reveals how responses to questions depends on the order in which they are asked.
 Jenkinson 7

Conclusion

In summation, given that current responses to climate change are out of proportion with the risks

that we are facing, and considering that deterministic approaches appear inadequate to the challenge, I

believe it is time for a new approach to climate change. An approach where people consider how

society’s responses depend on which order they are asked, how individuals are entangled components of

society and that the future of earth is not deterministic. The interaction of subatomic particles and

concepts of quantization of energy allows for a deeper understanding of climate change. By continuously

questioning ourselves we are likely to become more aware of not only the role and significance of

collective thinking, but also the potential for transformative social change relating to the environment.

Quantum social theory draws attention to people as the solution to climate change which compels us to

reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When there are less greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, a reduced

amount of infrared light from the earth is being absorbed which ultimately lessens the warming of our

earth.
 Jenkinson 8

Bibliography

- Biello, David. “Climate Change's Uncertainty Principle.” Scientific American, 25 Oct. 2007,
www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-changes-uncertainty-principle/.

- Electrons do not need to be Permalink Submitted by Marianne Lea on October 4, Marianne.

“Physics in a Minute: The Double Slit Experiment.” Plus.maths.org, 1 Mar. 2017,
plus.maths.org/content/physics-minute-double-slit-experiment-0.

- Fong, Joss. “Energy: The Driver of Climate.” Climate Science Investigations South Florida -
Energy: The Driver of Climate, 2011, www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/module-2/radiation-sun.php.

- Gardner, Dan. “Why Don't We Care about Climate Change?” The Globe and Mail, 21 Dec. 2018,
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-why-dont-we-care-about-climate-change/.

- Kitchen, David. Global Climate Change: Turning Knowledge into Action. Routledge, 2017.

- Sinha, Urbasi, et al. “Ruling Out Multi-Order Interference in Quantum Mechanics.” Science,
American Association for the Advancement of Science, 23 July 2010,
science.sciencemag.org/content/329/5990/418.

- Summhammer, Johann. International Journal of Theoretical Physics. Plenum Press, 1994.

- Zohar, Danah. The Quantum Leader: a Revolution in Business Thinking and Practice. Prometheus
Books, 2016.