Will the Next Ice Age Be a Very Long One? - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com

Just when you thought global warming was a problem, looks like we're headed towards an ice age!

A new analysis of the dramatic cycles of ice ages and warm intervals over the past million years, published in Nature, concludes that the climatic swings are the gyrations of a system poised to settle into a quasi-permanent colder state — with expanded ice sheets at both poles.

When pressed the scientists say that we have to fight global warming in the short term, but global cooling in the long:

The Nature paper (abstract and citation below) goes on to propose that humans, as long as they have a technologically powerful society, would be likely to avert such a slide into a long big chill by adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. That doesn’t obviate the need to curb such emissions and the prospect of dangerous climate warming in the short run, Dr. Crowley said.

This is why, in my view, we cannot take draconian measures that Al Gore et al want just yet. Measured steps, fact-filled, with measurable results is what is needed.


Will the Next Ice Age Be a Very Long One? - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com