It has always changed, and it will continue to do so.

Which is the threat? Neither, one or the other, or both?

http://www.warwickhughes.com/agri/Solar_Arch_NY_Mar2_08.pdf

Again, I want to state that the Earth's climate is highly variable and unstable as shown by historical and geological records.

It is NOT possible to say with certainty which way the climate is now headed. Both warming and cooling are to be feared, but cooling is the more serious threat, if not necessarily the most likely. It would be hard for the highly productive regions such as North America or Europe to produce much food if they are under a thousand meters of ice, which happened only 8,000 years ago.

Frankly, I am disturbed that the experts on both sides push controversial and unsubstantiated conclusion off as facts.

In the short term, it certainly looks like global warming is happening.

This alarming graph extrapolates the climate for this century. It looks REALLY bad, but is it realistic?

In the longer run, this is very unclear.

This shows a longer stretch, but note that time goes from right to left, so it is reverse from the others.

In the longer run, it becomes clear that the Earth's climate is subject to fairly regular oscillations.

In the extremely long scale, it looks like we are about midway between top and bottom of the climate roller-coaster.

Note: The graph above uses a logarithmic time scale, and higher temperatures are at the bottom, and lower temperatures at the top.

See: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Causes_of_climate_change

Putting it bluntly, it is not time to panic. It IS time to start thinking intelligently on the subject. While we do not know whether the Earth's temperature is actually rising or falling in the long run, it behooves us NOT to be idiots and ruin the planet with our pollution.

David F Mayer

I am NOT convinced that human activity is the driving force in climate change. There are far too many other factors involved that a simply Post hoc ergo propter hoc reasoning will not do at all.

Which is the threat? Neither, one or the other, or both?

http://www.warwickhughes.com/agri/Solar_Arch_NY_Mar2_08.pdf

Again, I want to state that the Earth's climate is highly variable and unstable as shown by historical and geological records.

It is NOT possible to say with certainty which way the climate is now headed. Both warming and cooling are to be feared, but cooling is the more serious threat, if not necessarily the most likely. It would be hard for the highly productive regions such as North America or Europe to produce much food if they are under a thousand meters of ice, which happened only 8,000 years ago.

Frankly, I am disturbed that the experts on both sides push controversial and unsubstantiated conclusion off as facts.

In the short term, it certainly looks like global warming is happening.

This alarming graph extrapolates the climate for this century. It looks REALLY bad, but is it realistic?

In the longer run, this is very unclear.

This shows a longer stretch, but note that time goes from right to left, so it is reverse from the others.

In the longer run, it becomes clear that the Earth's climate is subject to fairly regular oscillations.

In the extremely long scale, it looks like we are about midway between top and bottom of the climate roller-coaster.

Note: The graph above uses a logarithmic time scale, and higher temperatures are at the bottom, and lower temperatures at the top.

See: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Causes_of_climate_change

Putting it bluntly, it is not time to panic. It IS time to start thinking intelligently on the subject. While we do not know whether the Earth's temperature is actually rising or falling in the long run, it behooves us NOT to be idiots and ruin the planet with our pollution.

In other words, do what we can to reduce pollution but don't panic. The sky is not falling yet.

David F Mayer