Víctor Manuel Velasco, of the University of Mexico's Institute of Geophysics, says that recent winter conditions are similar to those of the "little ice age", and in particular the "Maunder Minimum," a period during which sunspot activity dropped significantly. He also notes that the Earth is in a similar position today in relation to the rest of the solar system, a fact which he regards as significant for climate.
"We are talking about the period between 1645 and 1715, which is known as the Maunder Minimum, a period in which the sunspots practically disappeared from the surface of the sun, and in which our planet occupied a position similar to which it has today, with respect to the center of gravity of our [solar] system." Velasco said in an interview published by the university.
Velasco dismissed computer models that are used to predict global warming as a result of man-made carbon dioxide emissions, noting that "today we are experiencing a scientific revolution in which on one side there are are supercomputers and on the other, human intelligence. Only human beings create knowledge and science, and those who bet on computers are making an erroneous diagnosis."
Comment: Computer models are made by human beings, thus they give us results based on the entered data. And time and again we see how those who are involved with promoting the Global Warming fraud, "play" with the data to fit their point of view. Therefore, we would like to make a small correction to Velasco's statement, and say that only human beings, who are unbiased by political agendas and who put the truth above all else, can create real knowledge and science.
"It will be nature that demonstrates which theory is the correct one. However, the Earth is getting colder," he added.
Although sunspot activity has been higher in recent decades, which has correlated with higher global temperatures, it has recently shown signs of dropping. The year 2009 marked a particularly low point in the 11-year sunspot cycle, representing the "deepest solar minimum in nearly a century" according to NASA.
Velasco says that he has been studying the relationship between solar activity and climate since 2002, and "our observations led us to predict, in 2008, that the climate would begin to grow colder around 2010, and nature is beginning to demonstrate if the prediction was right or not."
The geophysicist believes that a "mini ice age" began in 2010 which will last between 60 and 80 years, and says that "there does not exist a scientific consensus regarding the influence and responsibility of man in global warming," according to a University of Mexico press release describing his views.
Velasco is one of many scientists who question the conclusions of the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a political body which has been the primary force behind the promotion of the catastrophic global warming hypothesis. The theory is a favorite of organizations seeking to justify population control measures such as abortion, contraception, and sterilization.
I would like to know what data set Víctor Manuel Velasco is using when he makes the statement: "the earth is getting colder"
The instrumental temperature record shows fluctuations of the temperature of the global land surface and oceans. This data is collected from several thousand meteorological stations, Antarctic research stations and satellite observations of sea-surface temperature.
According to the instrumental temperature record the 20 hottest years in the past century have been in the past 24 years
20 warmest years on record since 1901 in order from warmest to coldest:
1: 2005
2: 2010
3: 1998
4: 2003
5: 2002
6: 2006
7: 2009
8: 2007
9: 2004
10: 2001
11: 2008
12: 1997
13: 1999
14: 1995
15: 2000
16: 1990
17: 1991
18: 1988
19: 1987
20: 1994
this ranking system is based on anomalies from the 1901–2000 global mean of 13.9°C.
I would really like to see some actual peer reviewed data that shows otherwise, not just speculation.
P.S. I hate the term "Global Warming" because it can be used as a red herring to discredit climate change. Not all areas of the globe are heating, and there are complicated feedbacks in ocean circulation and weather patterns that are not fully understood. "global warming" could very well lead to cooling, but the warming climate is the trigger.
P.P.S. Even if you refuse to believe that CO2 emissions from man are causing climate change, one thing you cannot refute is the fact that the oceans are becoming acidic from all the CO2 they are absorbing. At the current rate of ocean acidification, species of coral and plankton will not be able to survive within 60 years. Now how could coral and types of plankton that have been around for 100s of millions of years be in danger of extinction within the next century if humans were not responsible?