Astrophysicist Links Temperature Change with Sun's Energy Output

None by Jeff Robinson

Speaks at Sutherland Institute's "Earth Week"

(KCPW News) Global temperature change can be attributed to slight variations in the sun's energy output, not man-made carbon dioxide emissions. That's according to astrophysicist Dr. Willie Soon, who was in Salt Lake City today to present his research to a crowd at The Sutherland Institute.

"When the sun is slightly brighter, meaning giving more light to Earth's system, the temperature warms in the Arctic," said Soon. "With the cooling that we observed in the Arctic from the 1940s to the 1970s, guess what the sun is doing? It's actually dimming slightly, ever so slightly. And then, guess what happened after the late 1970s? The sun brightens again."

Dr. Soon works for the Harvard-Smithsonian center for Astrophysics. He says while carbon dioxide emissions have risen during the warming period of the past three decades, the fact that global temperatures decreased during the middle of the 20th century suggest there is no connection.

The astrophysicist says it's important not to confuse local pollution with global temperature change.

"I find that on the aspect of carbon dioxide, it is highly misleading to try to suggest that CO2 is that kind of a satanic gas," said Soon. "It's been said by some of my colleagues that people imagine CO2 is that kind of bad gas, that will melt the poles and kill the polar bears and make the coral die."

Soon's presentation this morning was part of The Sutherland Institute's Earth Week, a series of events to counter the view that humans are responsible for global warming and suggest that "green" policies hurt Americans. Listen to a conversation with Dr. Soon below.

 

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