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 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.
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117 comments Add your comment
Observer
June 16th, 2011
8:16 am
Puh-lease people!! Global warming has proven to be a farce. The ‘warmers’ have even given up the gig and decided now to call it ‘climate change’ so that ANY time ANY weather is out of a normal spring day; they can point to the evil humans (Americans only of course because we know they are the ONLY ones who actually polute!LOL) as causing this ‘earth destroying’ weather.
I have a new theory. The only global warming going on is caused by all the hot air these idiots spew out! Weather operates in CYCLES. There are mini patterns of about 11 year intervals over stamped by larger cycles of a 100 years or so. This is the earth’s way of renewing itself. This has how its worked since before the dawn of man.
Do we need to control our emissions, plant more trees, conserve our resources; YES- of course. Do we need to allow our Liberal politicians to use ‘global warming’ as a means of beating America back so they can move closer to their one World Order (headed by Obama, naturally); NO WAY!!
Matt
June 16th, 2011
8:23 am
It is precisely the idiocy spewed by people like “observer” that will be the downfall of our civilization. This “move along, nothing to see here” mentality about our environment is the reason why we’ll have no effective movement towards renewable energy utilization until it’s far too late. Yes, climate moves in cycles…but those cycles aren’t moving from norm to norm as they have throughout history. Since the industrial revolution those cycles have been trending toward higher and higher temperature “norms” so we don’t get the same cooling effect as time progresses. Jeez, take a first-hand look at the science rather than listen to the Faux News “science reporter.”
craig
June 16th, 2011
8:27 am
Well said observer! The New World Order is destroying our country in so many ways right now!
Ezra
June 16th, 2011
8:38 am
Matt
June 16th, 2011
8:23 am
World War II put more smoke and dust into the air during that time period than man has put into the air his entire existance. Oh and we wond discuss volcanoes that has erupted in recent years. Go back to bed with your boyfriend and dream about your little garden paradise.
Southern Man
June 16th, 2011
8:39 am
It is precisely the parroting offered by people like “matt” that will be the demise of our economy. He is good at memorizing the ‘facts’ that he was taught but a good natural history student he is not. The planet has been much hotter without humans and it has also been much cooler without us. CO2 levels were much higher during many periods before mankind was even a tickle in a single-celled organism’s nucleus. Yes, we need to be better stewards of the planet. Yes, we could be a little cleaner with our act. But to attribute any changes over the last 100 years completely to anthropogenic causes using only about as many years worth of data is the worst type of ’science’ at all, the type that doesn’t question its results.
anotheridiot
June 16th, 2011
8:47 am
According to Mat and Observer we are all idiots, just for different reasons….idiots the same.
Why would anyone expect a civilization of idiots to survive?
Roekest
June 16th, 2011
8:51 am
Bring on the ice! It’s about time “ice” in Georgia meant frozen water and not meth.
Failbook.com
June 16th, 2011
8:53 am
George, you are clearly not a climatologist because the first thing they teach on Day 1 is that an Ice Age is defined by a period in which we have polar ice caps e.g. today.
aj
June 16th, 2011
9:01 am
It is precisely the jolting failure of the public education system that has culminated in this mind-numbing willingness to accept the fantastic and the absurd.If you think you can count on ‘fox news’ for accurate,truthful information any more than the enquirer or weekly world news,you are wrong.This is spoon fed misinformation intended to confuse and perplex.
GreatATLGuy
June 16th, 2011
9:02 am
@Observer – if you’re such a conservative, why are you reading this “liberal rag?” Isn’t that what you repub extremists call the AJC? Why don’t you go back to Fox News…. you sound like a big know-it-all jackhole who in reality probably knows nothing. Are you a scientist?