Climate Change & Solar Activity - The world is warming, and while a small group initially attributed it to the sun, the scientific consensus now points to man-made greenhouse gases [1][2] - The sun's total energy output is immense, approximately 10^26 watts, originating from nuclear reactions in its core [5] - The Earth receives over 99.96% of its energy from the sun, influencing the planet's temperature and supporting life [8][11] - Solar activity varies, exhibiting an 11-year cycle with changes in X-ray brightness by a factor of 100 and fluctuations in sunspot numbers [13][14] - During the Maunder Minimum (approximately 1645 to 1715), a period of low sunspot activity, Europe and the North Atlantic region experienced a Little Ice Age [16] Research & Modeling - Solar brightness measurements from space over the past 40+ years show a small amplitude of 0.1% variation correlating with sunspot activity [18][19] - The SATIRE model was developed to estimate solar brightness during periods without direct measurements, such as the Maunder Minimum [21] - Carbon-14 production, influenced by cosmic rays and the sun's magnetic field, provides an indirect measure of solar activity over thousands of years [23][26] - Analysis of carbon-14 and climate data suggests a correlation between solar inactivity and cooler temperatures in the North Atlantic European region in prehistoric and historic times [29][30] Current Climate Change Drivers - Since approximately 1980, global temperature increases have diverged from solar activity patterns, indicating that man-made greenhouse gases are now the primary driver of climate change [34][35]