[Jim Noble]

Here’s the alternative SET OF FACTS:

The Earth’s average surface temperature has fluctuated tremendously, from much warmer than it is now to much colder than it is now. It has been warm enough to grow palm trees above the Arctic Circle. It has been cold enough to bury 2/3 of the Northern Hemisphere under two miles of ice.

The reason for these enormous fluctuations is uncertain. One thing that IS certain is that the activities of the human population cannot possibly account for it.

I do not need an hypothesis, alternate or otherwise, to explain these FACTS.

What I would like to know is, how does the anthropogenic global warming hypothesis account for these KNOWN FACTS?

[palmer]

It doesn't. But that doesn't mean CO2 does nothing. The issue is that there are huge changes in albedo, dust, fauna and flora that are not really in the models (they are mainly guesses, not actual data). Those can create sudden cooling worldwide. A good example is the increase in Antarctic sea ice closer to the equator. That seems to be happening lately.

The human created CO2 is probably a factor in some of the recent warming. There is no consensus on how much of it (versus solar and long term cycles) nor the future. One thing is fairly certain, there are many negative forcing and feedbacks that are not explored and could bite us hard were it not for manmade CO2.

There is no doubt whatsoever that at this point in geological time manmade CO2 is good thing.