Dr. Victor L. Martin Before we can discuss our climate, there are several concepts and terms that will help it all make a little more sense. These are items that you likely know even if you don’t know you know them. The first one not only explains climate but most of what we observe and deal with every day.· Energy, energy potential, and gradients – this is a concept that is the key to understanding not only weather and climate but why the world around us works as it does.