Systemic decline in low-level clouds intensifies solar radiation absorption, exacerbating climate feedback loops beyond CO2-centric models

Indigenous communities in cloud-dependent regions (e.g., Quechua, Māori, and Aboriginal Australians) possess millennia-old observational systems linking cloud behavior to biodiversity and agricultural cycles. Their knowledge frames cloud decline as a spiritual and ecological rupture, not merely a physical process. However, these perspectives are systematically excluded from climate modeling and policy frameworks, despite evidence that traditional cloud-seeding (e.g., burning specific plants to induce rain) altered local albedo regimes.

Pre-industrial cloud cover records (e.g., 18th-century ship logs, Polynesian oral histories) suggest marine stratocumulus variability was historically linked to volcanic aerosols and ocean currents like the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. The current decline mirrors the 'Great Smog' era in the 1950s, when industrial aerosols temporarily brightened clouds before warming resumed post-regulation. These parallels reveal that cloud suppression is not a novel phenomenon but a cyclical pattern exacerbated by unchecked industrialization.

Cross-cultural comparisons show that cloud-dependent societies (e.g., Peruvian fog oases, Namib fog harvesters, Himalayan *yartsa gunbu* collectors) have developed adaptive strategies to mitigate cloud loss, such as fog nets and agroforestry. These systems operate on principles of water reciprocity, contrasting with Western extractive models. However, globalization and aerosol pollution are eroding these practices, homogenizing cloud behavior globally.

Satellite data (CERES, MODIS) confirms a 10–15% decline in low-level cloud cover since 2000, with marine stratocumulus in subtropical eastern oceans most affected. This reduces Earth's albedo by ~0.02, equivalent to ~1 W/m² additional radiative forcing—comparable to a decade of CO2 emissions. The phenomenon is linked to reduced sulfate aerosols from shipping regulations (IMO 2020) and rising sea surface temperatures disrupting cloud formation.

Artists and spiritual traditions across cultures depict clouds as liminal entities bridging heaven and earth, embodying impermanence and interdependence. In Japanese *ukiyo-e* prints, clouds symbolize transience amid industrialization, foreshadowing modern cloud decline. Contemporary Indigenous artists (e.g., Māori *tohu* cloud patterns) use art to protest cloud erosion as a violation of cosmic order, framing it as a crisis of relationality rather than mere physics.

Climate models (CMIP6) underestimate cloud feedbacks due to coarse resolution and lack of aerosol-cloud interaction data, particularly in Southern Hemisphere oceans. Scenario planning must incorporate 'cloud tipping points' where stratocumulus collapse could add 8°C to tropical warming. Geoengineering proposals (e.g., marine cloud brightening) risk unintended consequences, such as disrupting monsoons or exacerbating regional droughts.

Coastal and island communities in the Global South (e.g., Tuvalu, Kiribati, Peru’s fog oases) face disproportionate impacts from cloud decline, as their water security and agriculture depend on marine fog. Their exclusion from climate finance and policy debates silences evidence of cloud loss predating satellite records. Indigenous women, who often steward seed banks and water systems, are uniquely positioned to observe cloud-driven ecological shifts but lack platforms to share this knowledge.