“For example in reaction to learning the ice core records show that temperature change has consistently proceeded CO2 change by 200 to 800 years, climate *scientists* claimed that this only strengthened their theory.”
That’s the clincher for me. As hard as I try, I simply cannot understand how the effect could possibly precede the cause!
But they did indeed find a way to explain the observations in a way consistent with the theory. So it is possible that some part of the theory could be correct, in the same sense that some part of your horoscope could be. The adherents of both horoscopes and global warming will always incorporate any conceivable evidence into their theory. Neither set of adherents will take the risk of making a falsifiable prediction.