Hi Andre

Re. Cobgo and Siberia being warmer, you have to take the polar-cirkulation into account. The north pole which is currently in Canada i believe wanders around and changes climates locally.

Bur regarding Global Waming:
There is NO doubt that CO2 emissions create increased cloud cover and contributes to a green house effect.
This is a solid fact, you will find it hard to argue against
If the current global temperatutre increase is CAUSED by CO2 is another matter.
Mayby our CO2 emissions are 80% of the reason or only 20% can be discussed. But it temperature increases in the given situation makes things worse and cause casualties, AND we will run out of oil in 20-40years.

This is why finding alternatives to oil is important for the long term survival of our technical civilisation.

I can understand your opposing political correctness , but the greenhouse effect is more than just a well established theory. (It is also a basis for taxation, which makes it in-discusable :O)

/Henrik

While reading this I got excited about what adoucette (Arthur) would have to say on the subject, (he's a wiz) ;}over in Physorg.com forum. Not sure why but since I have no knowledge on the topic to add, I thought I'd add that you may enjoy his thoughts on the matter. I personally believe that he is very learned on such topics. For all I know you may be arch enemies, considering that site...
;~})

I just wanted to say, glad to see someone else who is not constrained by 'groupthink' great name I assume you didn't coin it. anyway I agree. myself I have always called it "29 out of 30 people are sheep" for personal reasons. I am sure you are heartened to discover the hockey stick is in fact an artificial construction as has been revealed by the leak of emails from University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit, it is now obvious that the figures have been massaged to make it look worse than it really is. CC

The Congo fan sediments tell the same story! Check this article out which claims that aridity promoted the growth of the rainforest [url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=32348]Microfossils Unravel Climate History of Tropical Africa[/url]

Here's a paper which states that remarkably, the Amazonian rainforest DIDN'T turn to savannah or appear to suffer from drought at all: [url=http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/31/4/291]Constancy in the vegetation of the Amazon Basin during the late Pleistocene[/url]

"Specifically, we found no evidence for the development of large savannas that had been previously postulated as indicators of increased glacial aridity in Amazonia. Climate models need to be modified to account for the uninterrupted input of moisture to the tropical Amazon region over the late Pleistocene–Holocene period."

Here's a dialogue I'm having on the same theme [url=http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?p=2450378#post2450378]What Was The Jet Stream Like During The Ice Age?[/url]. Notice the laughable attempts to explain the paleo finds..

There's evidence that forests extended uninterrupted from North America to Mexico during the ice age. [url=http://www.flyingsquirrels.com/origins.html]Northern and Southern Flying Squirrels[/url]. I propose that the flying squirrel poulation got separated by deglaciation, i.e. lack of precipitation and sunshine. How else could a sub-species have been stranded in the heights of Mexico and Central America?

The discovery of twice-size tree-top monkey skeletons in South Americas longest cave system has convinced me that the sun was more active and therefore stronger during the glacial cycle. A paradox? Not if you consider an increase in tidal mixing as well. The ocean bottoms would become warmer and so release CO2 incidentally. Global precipitation higher and windier, mean summer temps higher, ocean currents stronger but much cooler. QED The ice age promotes nature and biodiversity! Rainforests twice normal size? Wow.

Have you seen this site about papers on the ice age Arctic refugia? [url=http://climatesanity.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/dont-panic-the-arctic-has-survived-warmer-temperatures-in-the-past/]Don’t Panic – The Arctic has survived warmer temperatures in the past[/url]

I had a similar self-taught introduction to paleo-climatology and the nagging feeling of something not being quite right. Incidentally, I could have sworn that I heard on the 'One Show BBC1' a few weeks ago that the ice age was globally only 5 degrees colder than today. That would make more sense wouldn't it?

So your mission is based on your belief that there was no glacial maximum 20,000 years ago?

Thanks for this Andre, and well said. I may disagree on approach sometimes, but not on substance.

mheslep