Was the world more tropical during the time that dinosaurs roamed the Earth? Could Global Warming be related?

Question

It seems like there's a lot of talk that climate change now is caused by human activities, but could it be part of a greater, natural climate cycle? I'm all for environmentally friendly everything, but I would like to know more about what everyone else thinks. Ideas?

Answer 1

Yes there are many natural climate cycles. In particular there is a approx 1200 year cycle -- Irish annals show that there were colder winters in the 530s-550s than at any other time, vying with the Maunder Minimum in the 1680s.

Very consistent with this is the evidence of a long and severe drought in N Arizona c1200 AD and of wine cultivation in S England in the 1100s (which is also happening now, but not in-between).

There are also longer cycles, e.g. one of 24,000 years, associated with the "cycle of precession".

There is indeed a hypothesis among some climatologists that the world should be colder over the past 3-4000 years than it is, but human activity (agriculture) has prevented this.

Ice ages are a recent phenomenon on a geological timescale. I don't think there's any evidence of them occurring except in the last few million years. Check that out with someone who knows more than I.

Answer 2

the earth has had many natural cycles of warming and cooling, remember the Ice Age? Neanderthals didn't cause it. Nor did they cause the warm period that came after it. There have been many very hot times and very cold times, ice ages and desert ages and even flood ages. It's all very natural. Politicians, especially liberals would have you believe that we humans are causing another one. That's just not true. The media would have you believe that scientists believe Global Warming is caused by Humans. They don't.