Via Instapundit, news of a lull in solar activity prompts some scientists to worry of an impending mini-ice age. But you shouldn't worry--the sun has nothing to do with climate:
Just how much influence the sun has on global temperatures has been the subject of sometimes acrimonious debate. While an upswing in solar activity may cause a warming trend, it was discounted in the mid-1990s as the sole driver of current climate change. And for anyone hoping that a solar downswing might bail us out of our current dilemma: Solar influence on climate is slight compared to the impact of man-made greenhouse gases, a National Academy of Sciences report concluded in 1995.
This illustrates what I suspect is one of the leading causes of skepticism about global warming: the sheer egotism of climate change alarmists. The earth's climate has always been in a state of flux. Might man-made greenhouse gases contribute to a rise in temperature? Sure. Does man have a greater impact on the environment than the big ball of fire in the sky? Obviously not. As the story also notes, waning solar activity "may indicate the star has entered a downturn that, if history is any precedent, could trigger a planetary cold spell that could bring massive snowfall and severe weather to the Northern Hemisphere." History is a pretty good precedent, in fact. In other global warming news, Canada's "most well-known environmental alarmist" is calling for criminal penalties to be imposed on politicians who don't tow the line on climate change:
"What I would challenge you to do is to put a lot of effort into trying to see whether there's a legal way of throwing our so-called leaders into jail because what they're doing is a criminal act," said Dr. Suzuki, a former board member of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
That's certainly one way to achieve consensus.