A Russian astronomer reports that the ice caps on Mars are shrinking and suggests that an increase in solar radiation is causing it as well as the warming that scientists around the world are seeing here on Earth. That might well explain the reports that warming here is accelerating much faster than the scientists predicted.

According to the director of the Norwegian section of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Rasmus Hansson, the change �is happening so extremely fast, much, much faster than we have seen in thousands and thousands of years. [1]

David Adam, environmental correspondent for the UK Guardian, wrote, �Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere much faster than scientists expected. New figures from dozens of measuring stations across the world reveal that concentrations of C02, the main greenhouse gas, rose at record levels during 2006 -- the fourth year in the last five to show a sharp increase. Experts are puzzled because the spike, which follows decades of more modest annual rises, does not appear to match the pattern of steady increases in human

emissions.� [2]

The scientists have been puzzled by the acceleration of the warming and rise in sea levels that are at the upper end of and beyond their predictions.

The research shows that between 1993 and 2006, sea levels rose by 3.3mm a year on average, while the 2001 IPCC report had predicted an annual rise of less than 2mm. [3]

Startling amounts of ice slipping into the sea have taken glaciologists by surprise; now they fear that this century�s greenhouse emissions could be committing the world to a catastrophic sea-level rise . . . [4]

Some theories that are being put forward are:

• The Earth is losing it�s ability to absorb C02 from the air, [2]
• The dreaded multiple �positive feedbacks� are already kicking in, [5]
• (And now) an increase in solar radiation is warming the planet.

Quite likely it is a combination of all of these, plus the increasing levels of C02 from man�s burning of fossil fuels. The percentage of each contributing factor is a moot point at this time, and to argue about man�s contribution is a waste of time. The atmosphere was at 379 ppm in 2006 which is over 100 ppm more than the earth has seen in over 650,000 years. [6]  And it�s starting to show everywhere the scientists look.

The global warming deniers are pointing to this Russian�s report as if it is good news that the warming scientists are observing is not caused by man. That is totally insane in the face of the fact that the earth is warming in the �hockey stick� scenario, meaning ever accelerating increases . . . perhaps even out-of-control increases. It certainly is not good news at all. It won�t matter a bit how much man had to do with a climate change that destroys our atmosphere and alters life on this planet so much that hundreds of millions of people may perish from world-wide droughts, pestilence and famine.

We all better get our heads out of the �blame game� and begin trying to restore Earth�s climate that we have taken for granted for so long. PLEASE! Let�s say the warming is due to the sun or orbital variations or whatever -- and man is simply adding to it -- but the important thing is the climate is warming faster than was expected!

References:

1. Arctic Region As Global Warming Barometer

2. Surge in carbon levels raises fears of runaway warming

3. World�s sea levels rising at accelerating rate

4. A Worrying Trend of Less Ice, Higher Seas

5.  Review of the year: Global warming: Our worst fears are exceeded by reality

6. Carbon dioxide rate is at highest level for 650,000 years