Our sun and climate change

[ollypenrice]

I can't subscribe to any theory based on politicians hyping climate change in order to put up taxes or for other reasons. Climate change is a politician's nightmare. It cannot be easily identified, it cannot be easily affected and above all it operates on cycles far longer than their tenure of office. This is the great problem. Democratic systems as we know them are invariably driven by short term agendas locked into the rapid cycle of elections. In order to make things better in fifty years a politician has to introduce belt tighteneing now. Our whole culture works the other way round; buy now, pay later, not pay now, receive later! Besides, politicians know that we will demand of them some belt-tightening in the name of the climate but that we will hate them for implementing it. No, I am dead sure that all poiticians just wish the thing would go away.

Regarding the sun, Piers Corvin is the great advocate of solar cycles as climate engines. He was very persuasive at Astrofest and startled the genteel fest-goers by saying that that the human contribution was the equivalent of '[removed word] in a lake.'

I don't believe him but it was probably the first time that this verb had ever been pronounced at the Fest!!

Olly

[iamjulian]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the well considered replies. I had a feeling the people here wouldn't be the head in the sand 'I am right and you are wrong' types who tend to have the loudest voices on climate issues.

The NASA climate page certainly has some alarming figures. Whether or not you think humans are responsible, something very different is happening. Unless of course you think NASA are helping the governments put up taxes by faking data