Explaining climate change: Mars says the Sun is king

Additional support for "the-sun-is-responsible-for-climate-change" hypothesis (see my Feb. 11 post) is coming from, of all places, Mars:

In 2005 data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide "ice caps" near Mars's south pole had been diminishing for three summers in a row.

Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of the St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun.

"The long-term increase in solar irradiance is heating both Earth and Mars," he said.

Most everyone by now is familiar with the recent news revealing "humans-are-responsible-for-global-warming" champion Al Gore's Gulliver-sized carbon footprint. The former vice president claims his mega energy use is zeroed out by his purchase of carbon offsets. But, as the Wall Street Journal quotes Tennessee blogger Bill Hobbs, commenting on the latest Gore revelation in his local newspaper:

[H]ow Gore buys his "carbon offsets," as revealed by The Tennessean, raises serious questions. According to the newspaper's report, Gore buys his carbon offsets through Generation Investment Management:

"Gore helped found Generation Investment Management, through which he and others pay for offsets. The firm invests the money in solar, wind and other projects that reduce energy consumption around the globe . . ."

Gore is chairman of the firm and, presumably, draws an income or will make money as its investments prosper. In other words, he "buys" his "carbon offsets" from himself, through a transaction designed to boost his own investments and return a profit to himself. To be blunt, Gore doesn't buy "carbon offsets" through Generation Investment Management--he buys stocks. . . .

As the great comedienne Lily Tomlin once said, "No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up."