When will we start blaming global warming on the big old sun?

Answer 1

let's blow up the sun

Answer 2

To clear up what a few other people have said, the depletion of the ozone layer is NOT related to global warming. The ozone layer filters out UV rays, which are harmful to humans and other plant and animal life, not infrared rays that heat the Earth.

And in response to your question, it is easy and convenient to blame the sun for global warming. Even if the sun is playing a part in the warming process, we as humans are impacting the climate in a preventable way.

I believe that as much as we should concentrate on lowering our carbon emissions, we should be preparing ourselves for what will happen as a result of global warming.

Answer 3

Well, essentially, the sun is the problem, in a round about twisted sort of way. The thinning of the ozone layer, caused by pollution, deforestation, methane gas, etc ad nauseum, allows more of the heat and radiation from the sun into the atmosphere.

The main problem is that it isn't cost effective for corporations worldwide to do anything about it. Even as we speak, the US is trying to control emissions while China is doing everything in it's power to throw more pollutants into the air. We cannot police the world and until the rest of the world cares, we will just have to live with it.

Answer 4

Maybe we should all take a look at the scientific facts.
Here is a summary of the science from the IPCC, written for policy makers so anyone can read it.

www.ipcc.ch/SPM040507.pdf

The punchline:
1. Global climate is changing and warming is a fact.
2. Global warming is caused by human activities.
3. It is difficult to predict the future, but is very likely warming will continue for at least 100 years before slowing, even if we curb emissions now.

Other facts:
The sun (and all stars) changes its output of solar radiation on various cycles (from hundreds to thousands to hundreds of thousands of years). As the sun ages, it also increases in brightness, but we won't expect to see this for about another 5 billion years.

What this means for your question:
Sure there are natural cycles in solar radiation that influences global temperature, but we need to think about scale. The scale of what scientists are observing (and comparing to the past) is not on the scale of solar changes. There is additional independent evidence strongly pointing to fossil fuel burning and other human activities that accounts for the warming we're observing (yes, it is "unequivocal").

I teach astrobiology, climate change science, and biology at a university.

Answer 5

There is a theory afoot that natural cooling cycles of the sun are becoming less reliable, meaning that the sun is staying hot during its cool periods and getting hotter during its hot periods. This is causing larger-than-usual mass-ejections of solar radiation, interfering with our magnetic fields and satellites.

What has this got to do with global warming? Virtually nothing, the sun's cycles don't affect our temperature. But it may be responsible for earthquakes, volcanoes and other destabilising phenomenon that might in turn affect the weather.

Answer 6

You can blame it, but it's not the main cause (it's about 10% of the problem. Proof here:

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/sun-on-earth/FAQ2.html

http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png

"While evidence suggests fluctuations in solar activity can affect climate on Earth, and that it has done so in the past, the majority of climate scientists and astrophysicists agree that the sun is not to blame for the current and historically sudden uptick in global temperatures on Earth, which seems to be mostly a mess created by our own species."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258342,00.html

Good websites for more info:

http://profend.com/global-warming/

http://www.realclimate.org

"climate science from climate scientists"

Answer 7

When we observe some sort of evidence suggesting that the sun might be the cause. Scientists have been looking, and so far it seems that the sun isn't responsible. In fact, research done by the Max Planck Institute shows that there has been no increse in solar irradiance sine the 1940's, so it simply isn't possible for the sun to be the cause.

Answer 8

We already are ,
Golbal warming is becoming very popular in the Cosmos ,
Neptune ,Mars and god knows who else is getting in on the act

Is the Sun Having a stroke ??????

nevertheless this does not make Humanity blameless for the enormous Environmental destruction that has been going on
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjpcDlQjAtmpv3eZqG2qPyzsy6IX?qid=20070530223532AAhPcX7&show=7#profile-info-403ada256fb6f5601a13dd1b2336ccc6aa

and will get much worse if the Ethanol bill gets passed by the Americans.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Av.LS_EpDKQU.HZFoH8IdwDsy6IX?qid=20070530195737AACbd5b&show=7#profile-info-fHbzOdoIaa

as to who is all to blame does it really matter
we are getting into deep s*it sure that is the real operative point to considder

Answer 9

It's not the sun, but rather the atmosphere getting thicker. The sun's composition will stay the same forever, but the atmosphere's won't
It'll get thicker with more pollution and trap more of the sun's rays than usual; thus, warming the Earth.

Answer 10

well it is and its good its how it works we not all knowing.. all above.. if you get it/ do WE get it ??... good things come to a end (for now and than we start over)and we NOT the upper beings in this universe so no ive got no problem with the sun or global warming that goes hand in hand .,, the sun is the creator the off spring off life (NOT THE BIBLE) and will be our destructor aswell or too makes sence doesnt it?..

Answer 11

The sun has always warmed the planet, but unless we get closer to the sun it won't warm us any more than it currently does, unless it starts to get hotter, which would be scary. Anyway, I think people aren't worried so much about the sun as they are about our atmosphere getting thinner and letting more sun in.