The earth did get warmer between 1850 and 2007 by around 0.7 degrees. Most of this warming occurred before 1940, with the more recent period contributing just 0.2 degrees to warming. Global earth temperatures have not risen significantly since 1995. In fact, several prominent climate scientists are now confidently predicting that the earth is entering a significant cooling period and that we should be more concerned with a coming mini ice age than with the dire predictions of global warming.

In August 2008, the sun failed to produce a single sun spot - a key factor in the warming of the earth. The last time this occurred was in June 1913. Some scientists now suggest that the pattern of sun spot behaviour since 1749 is showing clear signs of change in line with the same patterns seen in the three previous periods of significant earth cooling since records began. Known as the Dalton, Maunder and Sp? Minimums, each was associated with a period of rapid earth cooling, one of which was cold enough to be known as a mini ice age (1450 to 1820). The dominant prediction amongst those scientists that take the view that we are entering a cooling period is that the earth will cool for a period of two decades. Even the Old Farmers Almanac takes this view of the future.

Meanwhile, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions continue to grow. The fact that this is occurring at the same time that the earth is cooling suggest that we should be careful in assuming that the ?cause? of global warming is CO2. It appears not to be the case. There have been many occasions in the history of the planet when CO2 in the atmosphere has been much more concentrated than it is today. During the Cambrian Period of the earth?s history they were eighteen times more CO2 and in the Late Ordovician Period CO2 concentrations were almost twelve times as much as today. CO2 is not a primary cause of warming or of cooling ? it is just one of eighteen factors and possibly the least important. Much more important are: the effects of the sun; the orbit, tilt and movement of the earth; water vapour; methane; ocean currents; plate tectonics; vegetation; volcanoes and cosmic rays. When looked at in a comprehensive way, these key factors all point to a period of cooling.

Global cooling is much more difficult to deal with than warming, though both have their challenges. Agriculture is especially affected, as are energy demands for heat and power. Water supplies can also be adversely affected. We need to begin planning now for the possibility of abrupt cooling and balance our preparedness against continually changing data. Being seduced into thinking that reducing CO2 emissions (not a bad thing to be doing) will have an impact in climate change is misguided. We need really good strategic thinking that is open to adaptation and we do not need to be wedded to a single and growingly problematic view of climate change. See more here.