Climate change is not solely the result of human activity because solar activity also impacts the Earth’s climate in a significant manner. It is important to note that although climate change is real, it is a more complex process caused by a combination of a wide range of factors. Being aware of such dynamics and causal links is critical if humanity seeks to address the problem in an effective manner. Stating that climate change is caused solely by human activity is problematic and might lead to highly destructive and ineffective solutions. Therefore, knowing where climate change is caused by human activity and where it is a part of the natural cycle will allow humans to be more precise in addressing it.
The current discussion on climate change is centered around a number of topics. However, one of the least highlighted subjects is solar activity and its influence on climate change. A study found that there a “strong and stable resonant relationships between sunspot numbers and these climate indices indicate that solar variability may have played a role in modulation on this millennial seesaw pattern of the Earth’s climate change before the modern industrial era” (Zhao et al., 2020, p. 1). In other words, the Sun plays a major role in facilitating climate change, which was taking place before humans became relevant enough to consider them as contributing factors. Another group of researchers found “a sign of cooling down that can be interpreted as climate change during the last millennium” (Yang et al., 2018, p. 139). In addition, they report that there is a “∼240-yr cooling period from the historical frost records, which is well in accord with that of solar activity” (Yang et al., 2018, p. 139). Therefore, there is a climate change-related pattern of shifts with a cyclical nature of around 240 years. However, climate change is happening, and humans might also be causing it, but the research presented does not negate the latter argument.
References
Yang, H.-J., Park, C.-G., Kim, R.-S., Cho, K.-S., & Jeon, J. (2018). Solar activities and climate change during the last millennium recorded in Korean chronicles. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 186, 139-146.
Zhao, Soon, W., & Velasco Herrera, V. M. (2020). Evidence for solar modulation on the millennial-scale climate change of Earth. Universe, 6(9), 1-9.