Climate scientists acknowledge that CO2 follows rather than leads temperature, but they insist that feedback loops drive the transitions from glacial to interglacial conditions.
Glacial cycles and carbon dioxide: A conceptual model
Let’s see if that makes any sense, by making a few observations.
- Ice ages begin when CO2 is at a maximum. Ice ages end when CO2 is at a minimum. Both are the exact opposite of global warming theory.
- Sometimes temperatures rise quickly at 320 PPM CO2. Sometimes temperatures fall quickly at 320 PPM CO2
- Sometimes temperatures rise quickly at 200 PPM CO2. Sometimes temperatures fall quickly at 200 PPM CO2
None of these observations are consistent with the idea that CO2 drives temperature. CO2 follows ocean temperature, and there is zero empirical evidence of any reverse relationship. Consider points A and B below. Same temperature and same CO2 level, yet at point A temperature is rising quickly, and at point B, temperature is falling quickly. Shortly thereafter, temperatures were rising quickly again. This shows unequivocally that any effects of CO2 are trivial compared to the driving factors of climate.
If CO2 was the temperature control knob, it would be impossible to either start or get out of an ice age. Obviously CO2 is not the control knob of temperature.