Final answer:
A decrease in high clouds can lead to a negative climate feedback by reducing the heat-trapping ability of the atmosphere. However, this is a complex area of study, and other positive feedbacks like reduced ice albedo and more atmospheric water vapor strongly accelerate warming and can contribute to severe climate changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
A decrease in high clouds with warming can lead to a climate feedback. High clouds generally have a net warming effect; they trap more heat than they reflect sunlight. When we see a decrease in these clouds due to global warming, it potentially reduces the trapping of heat, which can then slow down the warming process slightly. This type of response to a change is referred to as a negative climate feedback because it works against the initial change (in this case, warming).
However, climate feedback mechanisms are complex, and the true impact of changes in cloud cover on climate feedback is still a subject of scientific research. Other positive climate feedbacks are well-understood, such as decreased ice albedo leading to more heat absorption or increased water vapor in the atmosphere enhancing the greenhouse effect. These feedbacks accelerate warming and may contribute to a run-away greenhouse effect. Historical events, like the ice-free Arctic Ocean potentially occurring as soon as 2030 and increased wildfire frequency, demonstrate the serious and rapid changes that feedback mechanisms can cause in our climate system.
An example of another feedback is the enhanced greenhouse effect from higher atmospheric water vapor levels due to increased evaporation from warmer temperatures. Also, changes in forest ecosystems' productivity due to variations in temperature and precipitation can result in assorted climate feedbacks.