Sunspot Baby

...sure had a real good time


Years ago when I used to install satellite dish systems we had a standard line for our customers who complained about poor picture quality: Sunspots baby.

Actually what we would say was: "We are in most active stage of the 11 year sunspot cycle. These things can cause all kinds of problems for global communications..." Of course we were always in the most active phase of the eleven year cycle. You only hoped that you didn't accidently use that line on the same guy 5 or 6 years later.

While it was true that sunspots, or more acurately the extrodinary solar activity that accompanied sunspots did cause commuications glitches on Earth, we field techs had no clue when a sunspot cycle began or ended. It satisfied our customers and for all we knew we were right.

So when I read this piece in the British newspaper The Guardian called Climate change sceptics bet $10,000 on cooler world I just had to laugh. Funny thing too, I have always been on the side of those who say (and it seems rather obvious) that the Sun is the prime factor in climate change.

Now a pair of Russian solar physicists Galina Mashnich and Vladimir Bashkirtsev are putting their money where their mouths are. They have 10 large that says as the sun enters a less active phase over the next few decades we will see a drop in global temperatures.

Amen to that. Nothing would make me happier to add this Dr. Annan (a Brit) to the heap of failed doomsayers like Paul Erlich, Peter Singer and Charles Reich who all believe in one way or another we are destroying the planet and ourselves with our technology and economic progress.

Even if the planet is warming I happen to think Bjorn Lomborg is right in saying there's not much we can do about it. We should not waste our financial resources, destroy our economies (while giving China and India a pass) and derail our technical progress for feel good nonsense that ultimately will not stop rising temperatures.

Listen, I got to go now and turn up the air conditioner... (tugging on collar) Is it getting hot in here?


CW