Russ Steele, Author
As the sun continues its slumber with little sign it will return to normal activity any time soon, what should we do? Regulate? Punt? Prepare?
Take a look at this total solar irradiance from NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) satellite. The SORCE mission began collecting TSI data in February 2003. Inspection of the SORCE TSI plot below show variations in the TSI have continued to decline in amplitude. If cycle 24 has started, there are no signs of it in the the SOURCE data.
Click for a larger graphic.
If as forecast by credible solar scientist the sun remains quiet for the next 20-30 years, and the earth cools as it has in the past, we can expect some significant changes in growing seasons here on earth. Shorter growing seasons result in smaller crop yields, and less food for expanding populations. What are the governments demanding reduction in carbon emissions, by restricting the development of reliable energy sources that are independent of the climate, going to do with the hungry cold mobs that are demanding food for their children and heat for their babies when the sun remains in it's slumber?
Benny Peiser writes at CCNet "Given the unexpected arrest of the global warming trend and the extraordinary behaviour of our sun, it is prudent to reassess the solar-climate link with extra rigour. The current climate lull provides the scientific community and the world's decision makers with a respite. They would be well advised to spend more time and money on the study of our variable star whose intrinsic dynamics and climatic effects remain a mystery to this day."
And Davis Whitehouse asks: "Could the Sun play a greater role in recent climate change than has been believed? If the Earth cools under a quiet Sun, then it may be an indication that the increase in the Sun's activity since the Little Ice Age has been the dominant factor in global temperature rises. That would also mean that we have overestimated the sensitivity of the Earth's atmosphere to an increase of carbon dioxide from the pre-industrial three parts per 10,000 by volume to today's four parts per 10,000. Or the sun could compete with global warming, holding it back for a while. For now, all scientists can do, along with the rest of us, is to watch and wait."
What do you think we should do? Should we continue down the path of restricting our production of reliable energy sources? Or, should we just wait to see what happens with the sun, and then if warming returns continue to restrict CO2 production? Or, should we be preparing for the coming cold and reduction in food sources? I would like to know your thoughts.
Cross Posted at The Dalton Minimum Returns.
H/T to Guest Post on WUWT by Guillermo Gonzalez. More information at WUWT, including some more detailed graphics analysis.
