Climate Change - Human Activities the Cause, Mea Culpa! But Consider 1816, the Year Without Summer!

The entire world seems sold on Global Warming andIcelandic eruption - a similar eruption in Iceland in 1821
Climate Change - caused by human activities emittinglasted for 13 months!
carbon dioxide - and therefore the need to "green"In light of the Iceland volcano eruption, a look at
planet Earth. Nobel prizes were awarded to the UN'scauses for global warming and climate change - other
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)than man-kind activities - seems warranted. The
and Al Gore several years ago; at the recentsummer of 1816 is considered to be one of the
Copenhagen conference (follow-on to the Kyotocoldest on record, studied by many weather
Protocol Climate Change Conference of 1997),scientists. The year is known as the "Year Without a
President Obama led leaders of 192 nations inSummer"; it is also known as the "Poverty Year", due
agreement with its principles, promising heavy financialto widespread destruction of crops. Severe climate
reparations to 3rd world nations.abnormalities during the summer destroyed crops in
Scientists have calculated that emissions of carbonNorthern Europe, Northeastern United States and
dioxide by human activities, including fossil fuelEastern Canada, and average global temperatures
burning, cement production, gas flaring, industrialdecreased sufficiently to cause significant agricultural
operations and breathing, amount to perhaps 30 billionfailures around the world.
tons per year. They also estimate that volcanicOf great interest to environmentalists were the
eruptions, a candidate consideration for cause, canunusual events prior to the summer of 1816: the
normally emit between about 145 to 255 million tonsprevious year, the eruption of the 13,000-foot Mount
of CO2 into the atmosphere per year, on average,Tambora volcano in Indonesia had hurled an
including both subaerial and submarine fissures andestimated 37 to 100 cubic miles of fine dust, cinders
vents. This seems to indicate that human activitiesand ashes more than 15 miles into the atmosphere.
may release perhaps 100 times the amount ofThe estimates of deaths were about 10,000, the
carbon dioxide emitted by volcanoes - thus, thereblast being heard 970 miles away. Meteorologists
seems to be a reasonable basis for the universalbelieve the eruption caused the greatest amount of
concern: human activities are impacting the climate ofvolcanic dust to be ejected into the atmosphere in
planet Earth - and in a negative manner - causinghistory. In addition, Earth's atmosphere had already
global warming.been polluted by previous eruptions of other
However, Mother Nature must indeed have a strongvolcanoes, Mayon and Luzon volcanoes in the
sense of humor - on the heels of the internationalPhilipines in 1814, and the Soufriere volcano on St.
guilt-admitting furor at Copenhagen by world leadersVincent Island in the Caribbean in 1812. The dust from
and President Obama in support of Global Warming -all these eruptions combined and lingered in the
along comes the coldest winter in recent decades.stratosphere - shielding Earth from the sun's rays -
And now, with Obama's EPA poised to levy severethus enabling heat to escape from Earth - resulting in
pollutant restrictions and harsh financial penalties onreducing Earth's temperature.
American industry, there comes a volcanic eruption inThe most likely cause of the severe climate change
Iceland that has devastated the air-transportseems therefore, to be the volcanic influences.
industry, closing down almost all flights over EuropeProponents note the numerous large volcanic
for a week, with attendant cost consequences whicheruptions preceding 1816: Soufriére and St. Vincent
may bankrupt major airlines(absent bail-outs byin 1812: Mayon and Luzon in the Phillippines in 1814;
governments).Tambora in Indonesia in 1815. The Tambora eruption
The reality of major natural catastrophes: this recenthas been estimated to be the most violent in
eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano (orhistorical times, the explosion believed to have blown
Krakatau, or earthquakes, or tsunamis, or hurricanes,150 to 180 cubic kilometres of material into the
or cyclical coolings and warmings of ocean oratmosphere. (For a comparison, the infamous 1883
atmosphere), should warn decision-makers that planeteruption of Krakatau ejected only 20 cubic kilometres
Earth is huge and complex, and that feel-good,of material into the air - and yet it affected sunsets
simplistic ideologies dictating industrial restrictions andthe world over for several years after).
financial reparations (the EPA or the Cap and TradeThe seemingly most reasonable scientific "proximate"
bill) can cause great national economic damage whilecause of drastic climate change during 1816 is
pursuing a noble cause ("greening" planet Earth) - buttherefore the volcanic theory of climatic influence:
may provide little benefit.greatly increased volcanic activity causing immense
Within the first 72 hours of the eruption ofamounts of ash and dust to be blown and trapped
Eyjafjallajokull volcano, Iceland's Institute of Earthhigh in the atmosphere, causing increased reflection
Sciences reported the average discharge rate of ashof solar radiation (instead of absorption at the Earth's
at 750 tons per second or 65 million tons per day -surface), resulting in globally decreased temperatures
equivalent to the normal average annual discharge -on Earth.
and in just the first few days. The plumes of ashPuny man and his activities seem trivial and
reached over seven miles into the skies; aboutinconsequential relative to the whimsicality and power
100,000 flights were cancelled, ten million passengersof Mother Nature, plus the complexity and immensity
stranded; bankruptcy of major airlines distinctof planet Earth, and the primary influence of our Sun.
possibilities. There is also a caveat appendage to this