FOR many years, any mention of the sun鈥檚 influence on climate has been greeted with suspicion.
People who believe human activity has no effect on the climate staked a claim on the sun鈥檚 role, declaring it responsible for the long-term warming trend in global temperatures. Climate scientists were often uneasy about discussing it, fearful that any concession would be misunderstood by the public and seen as an admission that climate sceptics are right.
No one has ever denied that the sun has an effect on climate. But the consensus view has always been that variations in the sun鈥檚 activity, such as the 11-year sunspot cycle, have insignificant effects. While this remains true, the latest findings show that the sun might be significant on a more regional scale. It seems changes in solar activity can have consequences ranging from higher rainfall in the tropics to extreme weather events in the north (see 鈥淭he sun joins the climate club鈥�).
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We now know we should take the influence of our local star into account. But its effects are far more subtle and complex than those who flatly deny human influence on climate change would have us believe.