The sun is a source of warmth, but it has rarely figured into discussion of global warming. New research tosses a bright yellow wild card into the debate. The sun brightened .036 percent from 1986 to 1996, scientist Richard Willson of Columbia University estimated last week in Science magazine. Over a century, that might warm Earth 1 degree, about as much as temperatures rose this century, triggering current greenhouse alarms. Some environmentalists resist evidence that solar variation affects the climate, because this would reduce human guilt.
Many conservatives advocate solar theories for the same reason.
The new study may not serve either view. If the sun is warming, artificial gases may have done less harm than assumed but might do more as greenhouse buildup is shined on by a brighter star. Inc. All rights reserved.