The connection between solar activity and global warming has been a contentious issue for a long time. The idea that cosmic rays create global cloud cover just doesn't seem to be working out; even the highest estimates of cloud cover variation caused by cosmic ray flux predict the effect to be very small. Now UK scientists have stepped into the debate, producing scientific evidence that there is no link between global warming, cosmic rays and solar activity. Sorry global warming sceptics, we might have to cut back on the emissions after all…read more.

source: universetoday.com

Well one of the main issues is that while solar irradiation may play a very small role, it is not enough to make it change at this rate.

In terms of radiative forcing, solar irradiance contributes about 0.12 W/m^2
While anthropogenic terms contribute a much higher amount of 1.6 W/m^2

If humans had no impact on the Earth, we would be cooling at this time.

well we better get china onboard already.

Exactly. While we are definately not at the top of the Environmental ladder in terms of curbing Global Warming, China is by far at the bottom.

Well the thing you have to remember is that when we were a developing country we did the same thing (ie - the industrial revoluation). We should certianly be on China but you have to also put yourself in their shoes.

respectfully disagree sat, totally different times, they have current technology, like us, they just don't use it. because, they are commie bastards that are trying to kill us with lead in toys and bad doses of heparin.

WE have the technology. I'm not so sure they do. Then again i may as well just be talking out of my *** because i really don't know much about China. But from what i understand they really just started using automobiles over the last decade or so. Not saying no one had cars but generally the big mode of transportation there had been the bicycle in the past. We have had some discussions in class about China and i know a few people who have been there. But again i'm no expert.

"Sweden, Britain and Denmark top the list of countries doing the most to address global warming, while the United States, China, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia rank as doing the least according to a new report released by environmental groups." -news.mongabay.com

In my opinion we people are contributor to global warming it's not the development of a certain country for say China they are not the only country in this whole planet that contributes to global warming..If we do want a change it should start from our backyard, within ourselves..It's just that the fact is there are bunch of people who doesn't give any or care what the heck is going in the planet as long as they live..it's the sad thought..If we want our world to be a better place to live in we need a miracle..

Also remember if you're in a 3rd world country you're more concerned with the short-term and doing what you can to make money to survive. You're not thinking too much about the future.

Some thoughts on the United States and pollution. Cars today give off far less pollution than years ago. I can't see anything come out of most cars exhaust. Years ago people burned leaves in the fall, talk about smoke in the air. Before that, coal filled the air with pollution. How about horse---- in the streets, before cars. Many people I talk to say waterways like Long Island Sound are cleaner than 30-40- years ago, they can actually see down a few feet. Many say the United States is such a terrible polluter but I think it is only because of our consumption. (Another words not because we do not have strict laws and regulations) How you can put the United States in the same mention as China when it comes to pollution, I just can't see it. To compare us to a small country like Sweden or Denmark doesn't make a lot of sense either. There is always plenty more we can do but lets be reasonable, the U.S. I don't think is all that bad.

I do agree with you..mostly in Africa they burn down forest in order to make charcoals out of wood and they will going to turn the burned area into cropland..which they usually do it to have source of food and the fact that in Asia as well this kind of activity is common...Poverty also has something to do with this concern...

Dragged this up because I didn't want to start a new thread. But this story is very interesting for two reasons, the snake itself and the climate it lived in. The article itself notes the planets natural "Greenhouse" phases. As many of us have noted the natural processes of earth and it's place in space are 99% of the cause of earths temperature changes, up and down. Some of these changes were brought on by asteroids and things from space and some are brought on by the earth itself. It's been this way for 4 billion years. The article headline says 2 million years ago but the story describes the events as 60 million years ago. Either way 2 million or 60 million may seem like a lot to us, but it is the blink of an eye in a 4.5 billion year old earth.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=supersized-serpent

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local...es/1425397.aspx

here is the image comparing vertebrae from another snake. if you read the article you'll discover a difference in the way the "climate" issue is related. guess one could cover the same story with 2 versions.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...sa%3DN%26um%3D1