Given that incoming radiation from the Sun is one half of the equation that determines the temperature here on Earth, it makes great sense that changes in solar radiation would affect the temperature. And we know this to be the case; when many parts of the Earth experienced cooler temperatures during the 1600s and 1700s, [...]

One of the pitfalls for a layman studying the climate is to overestimate the importance of the present day. To me, the increase in temperatures over the last twenty years now seem very noticeable and very significant. Over the last few years, heatwaves have become more common here in the UK, and winters [...]