The sun has gone quiet…solar cycle 24 continues to rank as one of the weakest cycles more than a century is the story. And this is why it matters:

If history is a guide, it is safe to say that weak solar activity for a prolonged period of time can have a negative impact on global temperatures in the troposphere which is the bottom-most layer of Earth’s atmosphere – and where we all live. There have been two notable historical periods with decades-long episodes of low solar activity. The first period is known as the “Maunder Minimum”, named after the solar astronomer Edward Maunder, and it lasted from around 1645 to 1715. The second one is referred to as the “Dalton Minimum”, named for the English meteorologist John Dalton, and it lasted from about 1790 to 1830. Both of these historical periods coincided with below-normal global temperatures in an era now referred to by many as the “Little Ice Age”. In addition, research studies in just the past couple of decades have found a complicated relationship between solar activity, cosmic rays, and clouds on Earth. This research suggests that in times of low solar activity where solar winds are typically weak; more cosmic rays reach the Earth’s atmosphere which, in turn, has been found to lead to an increase in certain types of clouds that can act to cool the Earth.

I realise the left has a great deal invested in global warming, but if they are wrong, and there’s plenty to show that they are, then they are preparing for a very different kind of future from the one we are actually going to have. Warmer makes the planet more lush, specially if accompanied by increased concentrations of carbon dioxide. Colder shortens growing seasons and increases the need for an ability to heat our homes. In my own lifetime, the planet’s population has risen from two billion to seven billion. If the world is warming, we can accommodate the lot. If it is cooling, we cannot, specially if we go out of our way to impair our ability to develop economical forms of energy supplies.