The Inconvenient Skeptic: The Comprehensive Guide to the Earth's Climate

by John Kehr

There are only two options for the future of the Earth's climate. If CO2 is the dominant factor, then the current CO2 level combined with the upward temperature trend might be sufficient to break the Ice Age cycle that has been ongoing in the northern hemisphere for the last 2.6 million years and the Earth will warm up, the sea levels will rise maybe 10m and the ice age of the NH will end. This is by far preferable to the other option. That option is also so unlikely that it is almost impossible to happen. CO2 simply plays far too small a part in keeping the Earth warm. It's ability to cause small changes is really insignificant in the scale of the Earth's energy balance. The natural and much more likely option is that the negative 65N summer insolation will slowly cause the developing glacial to strengthen over the next 1,000-3,000 years. Long before the glacial is actually fully developed, most of Canada, Northern United States, Europe and Russia will be experiencing extended periods of colder summers and occasional periods of summer frost. That will prevent most crops from growing in those regions. That the 65N summer insolation anomaly will be negative for the next 20,000 years is far more concerning to me than a change of 90 ppm of atmospheric CO2. That is the true nightmare scenario. What if half the crops in those regions were lost one year, then two years in a row? Then 5 years in a row? 10 years in a row? At what point will money no longer be enough to buy food. I...