Until 40 million years ago, there was no ice on the poles.
South America separated from Antarctica. Now a polar current of water formed, and a parallel air current with it.
Antarctica shifted from like modern Alaska to a deep freeze, two miles of ice at the poles. This cooled off the entire planet 10°F or so.
Be for that, rain forests circled much of the equator and what we think of as “temperate” zone, though there were deserts and swamp.
Historically speaking, we have a long way to go before we warm up to normal.
We are currently in an ice age.
However, we’re in an interglacial warming period called the Holocene Optimum.
Interestingly, the last interglacial was warmer than this one, and Al Gore didn’t have his fleet if carbon spewing SUV’s and private planes back then.
Don’t Luddite Get You Down
We’ll have our global warming,
it’s gonna be the rage.
The benefits are forming
to stall the next ice age.
But, hark, what muffled grousing
the transom overflows,
as climate change arouses
funky festooned foes.
It’s a cascade of excresence
to make mankind regress
to living like a peasant
while using less and less.
Crank up the moth-balled factories
and turn the A/C down.
Build nuclear reactors
to light your life and town.