Posted by
BLOGASSAULT on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 1:46:18 PM
I know this sounds premature, but the failure of UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen has in all likelihood made anthropogenic global warming a dead issue.
Another nail in its coffin appeared on the site of insciences organization yesterday:
Cosmic rays and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), both already implicated in depleting the Earth’s ozone layer, are also responsible for changes in the global climate, a University of Waterloo scientist reports in a new peer-reviewed paper.
In his paper, Qing-Bin Lu, a professor of physics and astronomy, shows how CFCs – compounds once widely used as refrigerants – and cosmic rays – energy particles originating in outer space – are mostly to blame for climate change, rather than carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. His paper, derived from observations of satellite, ground-based and balloon measurements as well as an innovative use of an established mechanism, was published online in the prestigious journal Physics Reports.
“My findings do not agree with the climate models that conventionally thought that greenhouse gases, mainly CO2, are the major culprits for the global warming seen in the late 20th century,” Lu said. “Instead, the observed data show that CFCs conspiring with cosmic rays most likely caused both the Antarctic ozone hole and global warming. These findings are totally unexpected and striking, as I was focused on studying the mechanism for the formation of the ozone hole, rather than global warming.”
The funny thing is, they predict a cooling period for the next 50 years.
“Most remarkably, the total amount of CFCs, ozone-depleting molecules that are well-known greenhouse gases, has decreased around 2000,” Lu said. “Correspondingly, the global surface temperature has also dropped. In striking contrast, the CO2 level has kept rising since 1850 and now is at its largest growth rate.”
In his research, Lu discovers that while there was global warming from 1950 to 2000, there has been global cooling since 2002. The cooling trend will continue for the next 50 years, according to his new research observations.
Global cooling for the next fifty years? It certainly corresponds with my frozen experience in Copenhagen, not to mention the subsequent snow storms blanketing Europe with people trapped in the Eurostar for fifteen hours, something that never happened before.
My honest opinion though is the Micheal Manns and the James Hansens of this world are far from giving up. This is their lively hood. They need grant money and the noteriety that comes with it. I simply don't believe they are going to just go away; they have far too much invested. But then again, if they want out before more trouble comes their way, this would be an ideal time.