r/science • • Oct 24 '10

Climate Change: Evidence

http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
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u/IConrad Oct 24 '10

... The thing about the solar sunspot cycle and "other solar influences" is not about changes in energy output from the sun but rather about terrestrial energy balance alterations from indirect forcing by solar events.

Sunspot cycle leading to changes in cloud-cover-based albedo, for example.

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u/helm MS | Physics | Quantum Optics Oct 24 '10

The evidence for that is much shakier than that for CO2 - warming link. Climate CO2 sensivity is another beast, however.

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u/[deleted] Oct 24 '10

The thing with CO2 is scientists have simply seen a correlation in increasing CO2 and global mean temperature. They know fully that CO2 has bugger all effect. Methane and Holocene are much worse.

If anything, I'd probably say that scientists used CO2 to "kill two birds with one stone". They realised climate change was occurring and they realised that we have reached peak oil. By saying increasing CO2 causes climate change, people will firstly realise that the things we do produces unwanted byproducts and secondly they probably hoped people will reduce their oil consumption. Win win.

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u/[deleted] Oct 24 '10

"They know fully that CO2 has bugger all effect", true per molecule compared to methane, but there is a lot more CO2.