Forget global warming, ‘Little Ice Age’ to begin in 10 years

Global warming may mean beachfront property in Macon someday, but the Earth may have to go through a cold spell first.

Polar bears would have plenty of good eating if they'd made it to London during the late 1600s.

Polar bears would have had plenty to eat if they'd made it to London during the late 1600s.

Fox Nation sums up the complicated science with this low-key headline: Global Warming Be Damned, We Might Be Headed for a Mini Ice Age

According to the pocket-protector crowd at the annual meeting of the solar physics division of the American Astronomical Society, the sun, due to reduced sunspot activity, is going to be a bit cooler soon.

When? Maybe as soon as 2021, or never.

How much cooler will the Earth get if sunspot activity decreases? No one knows exactly, but probably a fraction of a degree Celsius, which probably isn’t enough to lure another NHL franchise to Atlanta.

But, the last time such a thing happened, in the late 17th Century, the good folks of London were ice skating on the Thames and villages in the Swiss Alps were destroyed by expanding glaciers.

Wired Magazine throws ice water on the heated discussion with this exciting headline: Sunspot Drop Won’t Cause Global Cooling

At most, reduced sunspots will offset rising global temperatures for a few years, perhaps a couple decades, said NASA climatologist David Rind in the Wired article.

“To point to this as something that could in any way ameliorate greenhouse gas warming is folly,” said climatologist Michael Mann of Penn State University.

I guess I’ll keep the snow skis in the attic.

117 comments Add your comment

Fundad

June 16th, 2011
11:28 am

When I was taking geology in college back in 79 they were talking about the coming “Ice Age” back then. The global warming fiasco, started by dubious scientists/professors eager for research grant money came next. Of course the progressives and alarmists drank that kool-aid down with gusto and chastised anyone who dared disagreed with their “experts” or questioned their data/assumptions, or computer modeling, even when the experts were caught in their collusive scam via hi-jacked e-mails . When the alarmists predictions of rising sea levels due to the massive melting of the Arctic ice pac never panned out,( other than the normal ebb & flow) they changed their terminology to “Climate Change”. Well I guess we’ve come full circle because we are back to the Ice Age scam. Puhleaze! The truth is its always been about money and what the “experts”, ie: scientists and professors, can get the government or any other foundation to pay them to study the problem and recommend their prescriptions to fix it which always includes some type of anti-capitalist draconian measure akin to everybody turning in their cars and living on solar farms.
Al Gore got rich in politics but became a multi-gazillionaire when he perpetrated this mess of “global warming/climate change” unto the great unwashed. Well I will give up my SUV when you pry my “cold, dead fingers off of the steering wheel”. Signed: Too Fat to Ride In A Prius.

Oh Please!!!

June 16th, 2011
11:36 am

The biggest obstacle for sincere Global Warming acolytes is the Chicken-Little approach employed for decades regarding environmental catastrophies. Honest people who are genuinely concerned about the climate and environment have been infiltrated by anti-science, political hacks.
Anti-capitalists have championed the cause of Global Warming as a way to further their political agenda to the detriment of any real science. Now we (the public) are left with the unenviable task of sorting out the true science from the politicized science.
There are too many willing accomplices wishing to use Climate Change to further their socio-economic agenedas. This is how Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvineint Truth” has been used as educational material.
The majority of people want to be considered good stewards of the Earths resources, however, when hysterical claims are made, and then reversed, you wind up with Chicken Little and the Boy Who Cried Wolf.
Sincere scientists need to be dis-avowing these opportunists and get to the Correct Truth.

GreatATLGuy

June 16th, 2011
11:39 am

@DudDad (aka FunDad) – why don’t you write a term paper next time, nobody reads those either. Your poor kids!!

VancouverSux

June 16th, 2011
11:40 am

“…the sun, due to reduced sunspot activity, is going to be a bit cooler soon.”

I am putting in an order today for a couple of Snuggies, can’t be too prepared.

mememine69

June 16th, 2011
11:51 am

How can human CO2 be so powerful as to cause unstoppable warming of the Earth’s atmosphere, yet still gets it’s “warming” A$$ kicked from La Nina’s cooling effect and still be powerful enough to moderate the cooling effects of the less active yet still almighty sun?

KLR

June 16th, 2011
12:11 pm

Absence of ice over the northern pole can be seen if people would look at maps of previous ice ages.
It is not one big blob of ice dumped on top of the planet like a topping on ice cream.

They are bands of ice in North America and Europe that sit lower than that.
Check the maps.

Disappearing ice at the northern pole can actually be seen as a sign of major climate shift towards cooling in those areas.

KLR

June 16th, 2011
12:17 pm

On the happy side, a hell of a lot of the world’s fresh water supply will be gathered by the sun and gifted to North America and Europe to use, and with today’s tech, that is no small gift.
Ice is far better than drought.

Grits

June 16th, 2011
12:50 pm

AL GORE IS THE EPITOME OF ASININITY!

PT

June 16th, 2011
12:52 pm

Matt sure is one clueless idiot

UGA 1999

June 16th, 2011
1:07 pm

I remember about 20 years ago we were all worried about another ice age, holes in the “ozone layer”, and excessive polution. Wonder why we dont here about those issues anymore?