We’ve also spent a relatively short time actually measuring how average temperature fluctuates. So we really don’t know a great deal for certain. I am talking small increments , the ice core measurements, and C-14 deposits are longer increments.
I totally agree. Modern geology is, what, 240 years old. Most of modern sciences came into their own in the 20th century. We are able to get ice cores up to a few hundred thousand years old to indicate climates. The geologic estimates of climates from fossils and rock composition are generally accurate and broadly indicative of climate but we can’t reconstruct all the variables to understand the changes. What we can tell, the atmospheric CO2 levels show we are at all time lows. C14 is only accurate to, what 50,000 years. Exciting times are ahead for my granddaughter. Think of what we can learn if science is unfettered.