Scientists have identified ongoing climate change on Mars. What is being observed is quite similar to the current global warming many are trying to prove on Earth and, subsequently, blame on humans. To wit: "[…] for three Mars summers in a row, deposits of frozen carbon dioxide near Mars' south pole have shrunk from the previous year's size, suggesting a climate change in progress." Looks like we're at it again, only this time we're ruining another planet instead of our own.
Since, as you may have guessed, I do not buy the global warming junk science, this report must surely indicate that humans are causing environmental changes on other planets. Could it be our rovers are gas-guzzling machines polluting other worlds? That can be the only logical assumption given those fanatics who are sure that any changes on our planet could only be caused by man — despite the fact that such changes have occurred throughout the planet's history, many of them predating humans by millions of years.
It's disappointing to know that we're seeing natural climate change on Mars and yet are unable to admit that such a thing also occurs on Earth. Instead, alarmists wanting nothing more than to get their names into the headlines are screaming "greenhouse gasses" and "humans are causing global warming" and "ratify Kyoto" the like. Any scientist worth their credentials must — absolutely must — admit that we know too little about Earth's atmospheric physics and how it relates to natural cycles of the planet (including weather patterns, ocean currents, gasses released via natural phenomena, solar activity, and so on).
The historical record of our planet shows that it has undergone natural climate changes (both heating and cooling) many times in the past. These changes have been the basis of ice ages, significant increases in mean planetary temperatures, massive ice melts at the polar caps (and the resulting changes in ocean currents and water levels and the like), and the negative impact, including extinctions, on large numbers of plant and animal species. Oh, and the planet did this all before man was a twinkle in the evolutionary eyeball.
Radical environmentalist will ignore these facts and the recently discovered climate change on Mars. These are inconvenient facts which stand in the way of their fanaticism, so they can be ignored. Never let the truth stand in your way, right?
Our planet's weather is simply too complex a system for us to fully understand at present. Claims of man-made global warming are premature since any data which may support the premise of increasing planetary temperatures are put into perspective by the simple fact that we can't predict what the local weather will be like tomorrow, so how in the hell can we possibly try to explain a global phenomena for which there is ample historical data to demonstrate naturally occurring cycles of the same scope and impact? Simple answer: we can't.
Before you yell at me for being a polluter and hater of nature, let me set that record straight (as straight as I can be, anyway): I am an environmentalist from head to toe; I believe in conservation; I believe in reducing pollution as much as possible to ensure a clean environment; I believe in recycling; I am a tree hugger. That being said, I am also a scientist who strongly believes in basing assumptions on facts and observations and context rather than emotional hysteria. Junk science is junk science regardless of the intent. I am embarrassed that anyone claiming to be a scientist would leap to such unfounded conclusions by ignoring what we already know to be true and by admitting our own vast lack of understanding of the very system they claim to have deciphered.
Based on the very unrealistic conclusions and assumptions by the global warming bandwagon, I'd like to apologize to all those Martians impacted by our negative impact on their planet. I'm ashamed that weren't content to ruin our own and found it necessary to mess with yours.
[this rant inspired by Running for the Right]