A new Ice Age ?

For those utterly confused by the claims and counter claims about global warming, stand by for the latest predictions of doom and gloom for our home planet.  It seems that our sun is having some sort of conniption fit !

We have long known that the sun runs on an eleven year cycle that ranges from a solar maximum to a solar minimum.   It should now be at it's solar maximum peak and shooting out great bursts of thermal flaring that usually interferes with earth's communications and sends satellites and computers haywire.   That is simply not happening.   For unknown reasons, our sun has entered a dormant period - and the extend of that lasting is unknown.

Some scientists relate this to a phenomenon that occurred in the late half of the seventeenth century.  Solar observation was less advanced in that period but it seems reasonable that a similar event was happening - and that had a dramatic effect on the world weather.   It seems that Europe had a number of unusually cold and bitter winters, causing historians to refer to that period as the " Mini Ice Age ".

This southern hemisphere summer has been delivering record breaking heat.  It would certainly cloud the picture if this was followed by winter extremes in the northern hemisphere - and that could tip the balance in a lot of factors that the world population relies on.   Life on earth is very dependent on our sun delivering the goods as per it's regular timetable.

Europe and it's surrounding areas are experiencing civil wars that have sent refugees pouring over borders and many are now living in primitive conditions in makeshift camps. A temperature plunge could kill thousands and if the cold extends crop failures there will certainly be famine in Europe.  The northern hemisphere has just experienced a " Polar Vortex " which stopped air, rail and road traffic and brought industry to a standstill.    Could this become a regular event, until the sun resumes it's normal cycle ?

The chilling thought is the possibility that this cyclical change in the sun's cycle may be long term.   We know that planet earth had several ice ages when most of the planet was encased in ice and this killed much of the flora and fauna of that period.   Perhaps the increase in CO2 that we are desperately trying to reduce will be our salvation, warding off a new ice age by increasing world temperatures at the same time as the sun is giving off less warmth.

It seems to be a " wait and see " situation.   The sun is a law unto itself and as yet we do not fully understand it's inner workings.   Hopefully, this cyclical interruption will be a minor hiccup that will sort itself out.  At least it will give the climate change people a new topic with which to enliven the conversation !