Climate 101 is a Mashable series that answers provoking and salient questions about Earth’s warming climate.
Yes, the sun is a profoundly important factor in Earth’s climate. It always will be.
But scientists, like those at NASA, know the sun isn’t causing the current, rapid rise in global temperatures. Here’s why:
1. Solar activity
Some 26,000 global weather stations, in addition to observations taken by ships, buoys, and satellites, show Earth’s continued temperature rise, including accelerated warming over the last four decades. The last decade was easily the warmest decade on record.
But during the last four decades or so, solar irradiance, or the sun’s energy output, hasn’t changed much (it’s measured with satellites). In fact, it has slightly decreased. Here lies a foundational problem for anyone arguing the sun’s recent activity or energy output is responsible for today’s heating climate. Read more…
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