Are we heading for a mini Ice Age? Unfortunately, no.

Some very interesting work on the structure of the Sun suggests that we are heading for a period of low solar output.

Last time this happened was in the late 17th early 18th century, in the Little Ice Age, when they had ice fairs on the Thames.

The newspapers are covering this work, and the deniers will be pumping it for all it's worth in the run-up to the Paris climate change conference.

I had a look at this question in 2012

And here's a piece by a climatologist addressing the same question, only it's got formulae in it.


Basically, the changes we've made to the Greenhouse Effect will override any solar cooling that may take place. The solar minimum will cool Europe somewhat, but the overall effect will be just to ste global warming back by 10 years or so. Unfortunately. As ever, we wish that deniers and lukewarmers were right. But they are not.