Xanthippa's Chamberpot

While reading through the ClimateGate documents, I noticed that the ‘scientists’ paid some serious attention to the ‘Medieval Warm Period’(MWP).

Specifically, it worried them – we’ve known that since 2006, when one of them openly stated “We have to get rid of the Medieval Warm Period”.

They did not like it.

They wanted to get rid of it.

And rid of it they got!

The second IPCC report (1995/6) showed that the Middle Ages were several degrees (about 3) warmer than the global temperatures are today.

The third IPCC report (2001) DID NOT!!!  It replaced the graph with the now infamously debunked ‘hockey stick graph’… and claimed the 1990′s were by far the warmest period ever.

WHY?

At first, I thought that the reason was the obvious thing:  if things were that warm during 800 – 1 000 years ago, then it would be hard to panic people into giving them tons of research money now.

Then, I thought back to Al Gore’s instructive little movie…  What was the most iconographic image in it?

Al Gore’s big shiny graph which showed how temperature and carbon dioxide are linked!  Here was the proof that more CO2 means higher temperatures!!!

And, our CO2 IS going up.  Measurably.

Except that the temperature goes up first, then, about 800 or so years later (this period varies by a few centuries either way, but, roughly, it has about an 800 year lag) the carbon dioxide goes up!

It is hard to see this lag on Mr. Gore’s graph, because the two curves are separated out.  But, if one superimposes them on the same time-line, it is clear to see that the temperature goes up first and the CO2 goes up (about 800 years or so) later…

Not only does the CO2 go up, the graph shows that it can spike up very quickly!  The pattern shows a slow decline, followed by a sharp, ‘sudden’ rise.

WHEN was that Medieal Warm Period?  The one during which the temperatures shot up?

800-1300 C.E.?

Hey, that is somewhere between 700 and 1 200 years ago.

How long is the lag again?

800 years, plus or minus a couple centuries either way…

Doesn’t that mean that – just about NOW – we should be expecting the CO2 levels to spike up?

Way up?

How come we never hear about that?