Okay, i'll weigh in here. To begin with, my father in law was a great history professor, among other things, and our son is a Nuclear Physicist. We all had this conversation a few years ago. The gist of it is that this planet has cyclic climate change....period. Along with that cyclic change it has external stimuli like changes in the Sun over long periods, solar events like radiation increases, internal planetary changes such as the possibility of crustal displacement, volcanic activity both above and below land and ocean. Global magnetic anomalies and changes. Weather patterns worldwide contribute to overall change in many places such as once forested areas becoming grassland ( Alaska), once grassland areas becoming sandy deserts. ALL of these factors, taken together as a whole, and many more, act upon each other, and with each other to create the world we see and live in. We humans incorrectly assume that everything is about us.....when in FACT we are insignificant in the grand scheme of planetary events and timelines. We sit in our homes and watch TV programs that tell us that when a certain volcano blew up it blanketed the globe with ash and changed the environment for years. Some how, these MANY events in our recent history seem to be discounted or outright ignored by most. The cyclic planetary minimums and maximums also get ignored. In our haste to be heard and agreed with in our never ending need for validation and power/praise, we spout half truths, and pop science as explanation for ongoing events and changes, and insert OURSELVES into the equation because, well, we are the masters of the Universe, right? Wrong. As someone above said, " We are as fleas on a dogs back , and we go where the dog goes."
Do we as a species do things that exacerbate the changes? Of course we do, cause and effect. Are WE the cause of all of the observable changes? Of course not, don't be silly.
Climate change, Global Warming etc...are MONEY makers. In every way. Someone would find a way to make us pay for air if they could. It's a racket, pure and simple. Here's how you can see that it's true.
Simply take away all monetary gain and consideration from the situation. Then what happens? Suddenly nobody will care about this and it would die a quick death as a popular bone of contention. It is the absolute HEIGHT of narcissism for us to believe that our puny civilization will destroy a planet that has survived EVERYTHING for more than 4.5 billion years. Come on...really? So say I, and so say those who I have discussed this with, who have reason to know the truth and enough humility to not place themselves into the equation.
