Danish Space Center blames Global Warming on the Sun. Could they be wrong?

Question

The Danish National Space Center states "Changes in the Sun contribute to climate change. Solar activity has been exceptionally high in the 20th century compared to the last 400 years and possibly compared to the past 8,000 years. When solar activity is high, the flux of galactic cosmic rays is reduced due to increased magnetic shielding by the Sun. The cosmic rays may influence Earths climate"

Here is evidence that says that the suns activity is the highest it's been in the last 8000 years. How could that NOT have any effect on the earths climate?

http://spacecenter.dk/research/sun-climate

Answer 1

Exactly! How could the Sun NOT be influencing the Earth's climate. It's unbelievable that some people believe that the Sun doesn't cause any warming on Earth.

Do they just believe SUV's provide us with warmth? I think so.

I wonder how many 30 year old links they'll dredge up to prove you wrong.

I won't matter, their minds are closed to any new data that goes against what they "believe". To them the science is closed, settled, done, no more debate is needed.

Good link. I hope you can make some others learn the truth!

Answer 2

I think the way some people look at it is that the sun is, for all intents and purposes, the only source of heat that warms the planet and therefore any variation in the global temperature has to be caused by the sun. Stripped down to it's basics like this, it appears to make sense. Such a simplification fails to take account of how and why the sun keeps Earth at a habitable temperature and overlooks the many other factors that are involved. Once you start digging deeper it soon becomes apparent that it's not so simple. People like yourself and others have done the digging and can identify the other factors and how we are able to influence our climate. If people WANT to believe it's the sun they're unlikely to dig down, to do so could unearth facts that shatter their illusion. In this respect it's easier to remain ignorant rather than become educated with the facts, especially if those facts don't conform to a preconcieved notion. There are undoubtedly some skeptics who are well aware that the sun can't be blamed for the current warming but to admit such would be tantamount to conceding that humans have a role to play as well. For some, this would never do. To do so would mean accepting being a part of the cause and problem, it would also mean loss of face at having to do a 'U-turn'. Of course, it could all just be down to moose burps, cattle, termites, Al Gore, soda pop, volcanoes or anything else that comes to the mind of the skeptics. My money's on someone blaming little green men from Mars before the year's out.

Answer 3

Yes, they're wrong. Virtually all climatologists agree about that.

It doesn't have an effect on climate because an increase in "solar activity" (basically, sunspots) is not the same as an increase in solar radiation, which is what causes heat. Solar radiation has been going down.

"Recent oppositely directed trends in solar
climate forcings and the global mean surface
air temperature", Lockwood and Frolich (2007), Proc. R. Soc. A
doi:10.1098/rspa.2007.1880

http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/media/proceedings_a/rspa20071880.pdf

News article at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6290228.stm

The "cosmic ray" theory has been thoroughly debunked:

http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn11651
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/10/taking-cosmic-rays-for-a-spin/

Scientists who have promoted it have been caught manipulating the data:

"Pattern of Strange Errors Plagues Solar Activity and Terrestrial Climate Data", Eos,Vol. 85, No. 39, 28 September 2004

Look, the Sun is constantly measured by many people. Do you honestly think this wouldn't have been considered thoroughly? Actually, the Sun is a small driving force. This graph, shows how small:

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

Good website for more information:

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

Answer 4

I am just a normal German citizen. I don't know a lot of global warming. When I was young, I had a teacher showing the class what good journalism is. When I watch German TV or radio on the point of "Klimakathastrophe" today, I only can say "Dr. Goebbels läßt grüßen".
The first time I saw on German TV that there can be other reasons than CO2 that was --- half an hour past midnight on a very non public channel!!!
All the other time there is a bombardement of human made "Klimakathastrophe" --- but no real arguments.
You must have a look at the differrence the world says "Gobal warming" Germany says "Klimakathastrophe". I am reminded at Goerge Orwell. "Who controlls the language --- controlls the thinking --- who controlls the thinking --- controlls th people"
I know that CO2 has clima effects. When I was young we had about 3% CO2 in the athmosphere. Today we shall have 3.8% CO2 in the athmosphere. I have seen no experiment that shows me, that that will rise temperature to more than 2° C.
---- I will continue tomorrow ---
Greetings from Hamburg, Germany
Heinz

Answer 5

Well, it's fairly obvious that any changes in solar output have an effect on the climate. After all, essentially =all= of the planet's energy comes directly from the sun.

However, the question here isn't what effects changes in solar irradiance have on the planet's temperature in general, it's what effects the sun is having on the =current temperature change=. And so far, there haven't been any trends in solar activity sufficient to have caused the bulk of 20th century warming.

And, of course, since we all ready have a know and well understood mechanism that we know is fully well capable of causing most of 20th century warming (an increase in Earth's greenhouse effect), it seems almost silly to posit some as yet unknown solar forcing as the cause.

Answer 6

Yes, they are wrong. Solar output has decreased as global warming has accelerated rapidly over the past few decades.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6290228.stm
http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/media/proceedings_a/rspa20071880.pdf

The Danish National Space Center is trying to defend Svensmark's Galactic Cosmic Ray theory, but it has many fundamental flaws, as I have discussed here:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ahuxfpv5RzyHSeqsVZ1fxnEjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20071030112550AA7AXSu

From the most recent IPCC summary:

"During the past 50 years, the sum of solar and volcanic forcings would likely have produced cooling."

http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf

'Likely' meaning a greater than 67% probability.

Answer 7

That's interesting information. How many manned (or unmanned) trips into outer space has the Danish National Space Agency conducted in the past 40 years?

Answer 8

Rises in temperatures on Mars, several of Jupiter's moons, some of Saturn's moons seem to bear this out.

Doesn't matter, though.
AlGore has decreed that global warming is caused by human industrial civilization, many scientists have signed off on it & denying the "truth" of the matter will not get you invited to the cool, hip parties.

Answer 9

Debunked here.

http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn11651

You can lead em to the kool aid, but you can't make em drink.

Answer 10

yes they could be wrong