That's in the tropics; the difference was more like 18 degrees on average world-wide. No one said it was globally catastrophic, although it may have been catastrophic for life at the equator and in the deep oceans. But if you think a 18 degree Fahrenheit change isn't 'significant', you're speaking another language besides English. That's around the average annual difference between New York and Miami.
The point is that all the "Global Warmers" assume that a SMALL amount of warming will translate into some kind of "unknowable climate flip/catastrophe". The historic record doesn't support anything like that.
I agree. On the other hand, an average climate equal to that in the Cretaceous really would melt the polar caps, and flood most low-lying areas of the earth.
And people live and thrive in both places quite nicely, don't they. What I mean by "significant" is something that threatens life on the planet. The historical observed warming doesn't support that. I'd one heck of a lot prefer to see the planet get a bit warmer than head back into another ice age
"On the other hand, an average climate equal to that in the Cretaceous really would melt the polar caps, and flood most low-lying areas of the earth."
True, but the actual warming that is likely to occur is nowhere near that order of magnitude. I just get sick and tired of the "global warmers" hyping the situation as if it was some kind of monumental eco-catastrophe. It isn't.