Global Warming, Martian style

Luckily for us global-warming critics, new evidence of melting polar ice caps on Mars is suggesting that the phenomenom known as Global Warming (or more the hype of it) may actually be caused by solar activities, as opposed to human activities.

Two probes sent to Mars, Global Surveyor and Odyssey reported in 2005 that ice had been melting at the Martian polar ice caps for three consectutive years. At the Pulkovo Astronomical Society in St Petersburg, Russia, scientist Habibullo Abdussamatov says that the data collected from the probes is proof that the sun, not human activities, is responsible for the majority of warming on earth. By studying the data, Mr Abdussamatov says that he can see an emerging pattern in the climate data for both planets.

Mr Abdussamatov said "Man-made greenhouse warming has made a small contribution to the warming seen on Earth in recent years, but it cannot compete with the increase in solar irradiance."

Mr Abdussamatov's theory of solar-related global warming hasn't impressed other scientists though. Colin Wilson, at Oxford University, said "His views are completely at odds with the mainstream scientific opinion. And they contradict the extensive evidence presented in the most recent IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report."

The conventional theory on global warming on Mars is that planetary wobbles, instead of solar activities, is reponsible for any climate change there. Earth and Mars tilt different ways, and most climate scientists and astronomers think it is merely a coincidence that both planets are between ice ages at the moment.

"The solar irradiance began to drop in the 1990s, and a minimum will be reached by approximately 2040," Mr Abdussamatov said. "It will cause a steep cooling of the climate on Earth in 15 to 20 years."

So, his theory has a long way to go before being seriously considered by the world's top climate scientists and the IPCC, but hopefully it will do well. After all, there could be potentially thousands of factors to do with global warming-humans being just one of them.

The original article can be viewed here.