Isn't it time we blamed the Sun for global warming?

Answer 1

No.

CO2 is 30% higher than it has been for 650,000 years. Methane is 130% greater. These are two of the main pollutants humans put into the atmosphere in excess, and they are two of the primary greenhouse gases.

Look at the 'hockeystick', which shows a dramatic warming since 1950 after a fairly stable climate for 1000 years. In fact, the 10 hottest years in recorded history have all happened since 1990, with 2005 being the hottest, and 2006 is shaping up to maybe break that record.
(see links below)

How's that for proof of man's fault in this? There is ample proof, any real scientist will tell you that.

There has NEVER been an article doubting man's influence on global warming published in a peer-reviewed journal. A recent study of almost 1000 proved that.

Yes, the earth naturally heats and cools, but the rate and amount we are warming now is unprecedented in the recent geologic past. We are doing this, and we must stop it. This is not some political statement or rhetoric. This is science trying to educate a crass, ignorant public of the damage they are doing. The magnitude of temperature increase ALREADY is about 10x that of the 'little ice age' of the middle ages, and rate and amount are only going up.

Just to be clear, glacial and interglacial cycles are mainly controlled by astronomical fluctuations, but we have a detailed record of the last 7 cycles, and what the climate and CO2 is doing now is way different and extreme. The rate of increase is much higher than in the past AND the value itself is much higher.

HI CO2:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4467420.stm
HOCKEY STICK:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5109188.stm
General climate stuff:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3897061.stm

Answer 2

No, but Chicken Little the sky is falling. The earth has been going through a numerous amount of changes for billions of years, and if the powers that be want to blame global warming on anything they can pull out of anywhere. Then, let them do the talking. The sun is not to blame; the devastation on this planet has generally speaking been caused by the likes of mankind and the greed that drives anyone that wants to get ahead in this world. Blaming something on something else leads me to draw conclusions that are your speaking like a true liberal. "Save the planet." I've got news for you and anyone willing to argue with me, this earth will take care of itself long after man has came and gone. Man will end before the earth ends, mans demise will be his own faults and ignorance. Thank you for being openly liberal on your views towards the earth you care so much about. Also blaming the sun which is older then the earth, and has been here longer on the main cause of global warming. Opps...I just farted maybe that’s a cause too, put emissions regulation on flatulence. Take Care.

Answer 3

Why? The sun has been at the same distance from us since almost forever.

The point of global *warming* is that the Earth *used* to be cooler on average, but is now slightly warmer on average. Not that it's simply hot or cold. There are natural explanations, such as the cycles that result in periodic ice ages, but the worry is that the warming is accelerated by humans.

We know there is global warming, and we know a lot of it is natural. And there's nothing we can do or even ought to do about that. It's just that if a small part is human-caused, then it's likely in the next few hundred or thousand years so much more will become man-made.

Answer 4

I can't believe many of the above answers - obviously genetically identical to the ostriche - head in the sand syndrome!!!

Here is one fact, FACT, that all shoulb be aware of. The amount of energy from the sun has decreased by roughly 1.5% (possibly because of the solar minimum!) However the earth's temperature has INCREASED by about 1.5C - does this make sense? No!

Thge increase in temperature is due to greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, etc.) being added to the atmosphere. If the increase was related to the energy output, we should be undergoing global cooling instead.

So why is it heating up? Because these gases are being added to the atmosphere at a greater rate than they are being reabsorb in nature.

Global Warming is a FACT, and this is quite apparent over the last 100 years. Prior to the industrial revolution, Life coexisted on the earth for millions of years without causing such a rapid temperature increase.

Don't forget that all prior weather anomalies were COOLING - not warming, and most of those can be traced to natural phenomina - TOTALLY UNLIKE our present situation.

Keep sticking your heads in the ground - maybe you will live long enough to have mother nature come along and kick your butts hard enough - but I doubt it. Why do we always have to wait until issues are on the verge of catastophe before we do anything about it! We have only been lucky, so far, because of our technology - one day we won't be able to save ourselves due to human and political arrogance.

Unfortunately, we don't have an accounting category for environmental effects - if corporations did, you would certain see a change in their philosophy, and as long as big companies are deciding political decisions on environmental issues - we will die!

Things are rapidly approaching a critical level - what we do in the next 50 years may determine the fate of humans (and many other species).

We are definitely not leaving a very propective future for our children and grandchildren!

WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!

Answer 5

YES!
Not enough people realize that the Earth goes through climate shifts over time.That's why our planet had ice-ages.I saw a show on the Discovery Channel that said we also have mini-ice-ages.
The last one started in the mid 1500's and lasted until sometime in the 1800's.It explained why beer was so popular in the middle-ages.The temperature was too low for lots of crops,but grain grew well enough in the cooler climate.And beer is a product of grain.
They also pointed out that the famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River would be alot different if it happened today.The picture shows the river with chunks of ice floating in it.The Delaware hasn't frozen like that since before modern industrialization.That's evidence that global warming could very well be a natural phenomenon.
The show had lots of other examples of how the climate has been warming and cooling over the eons,not the least of which is why Stradivarious made such great sounding violins (cooler climate leads to denser growth in trees!).
It's awfully arrogant of us to assume that we could cause such a big change in our planets climate over such a short period of time.

Answer 6

The only way we can stop global warming is to meet Al Gore's demands. There's no other way out.

Answer 7

you're right that there's some evidence that cyclical variations in the sun's output do affect global climate.

but, if the sun is (partly) to blame, so is man.

Answer 8

darn tootin!
I believe the hole in the ozone layer is caused by billions of years of the sun's radiation gathering above Antarctica (or would it be below?) to party in the cold, and get high off of our ozone

Answer 9

A few years back the government actually blasted holes in the ozone layer to attempt to control whether patterns and use these whether patterns to our advantage in time of war. Scientist argued that it would eventually lead to global warming and a ruin of earth itself.. and guess what, they were right.

Answer 10

Don't blame the Sun, blame the Man. Mankind.

LINH FOR THE WIN*