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 Correspondant 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 CO2, 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 brought forward are:
- the Earth is losing it's ability to absorb CO2 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 CO2
from man's burning of fossil fuels. The percentage of each contributing factor is
a moot point at this time in history, 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 warming on Mars may also be caused by more factors than just the sun. And
with just one scientist looking through a telescope versus thousands of scientists
taking measurements in the ocean, air, glaciers, ozone, etc........well you see my
point.

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 nit 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 this
wonderfull 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 by the experts from around the world!

From the Online Journal:
 http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_1827.shtml

References:
1- Arctic Region As Global Warming Barometer
 http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Arctic_Region_As_Global_Warming_Barometer_999.html

2- Surge in carbon levels raises fears of runaway warming
 http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1994071,00.html

3- World's sea levels rising at accelerating rate
environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2004718,00.html

4- A Worrying Trend of Less Ice, Higher Seas
 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/311/5768/1698

5- Review of the year: Global warming: Our worst fears are exceeded by reality
 http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2110651.ece

6- Carbon dioxide rate is at highest level for 650,000 years
 http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2211568.ece