It seems we have two climate scientists with the monicker of Michael Mann (but with different middle names). This emerged with the publication of a paper where the 'other' Michael Mann was a co-author of the Kaufmann et al release that has admitted, for the first time, that global surface temperatures did not rise between 1998 and 2008 (ignoring the last couple of years) (see http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/07/04/a-peer-reviewed-admission-that-glo… ). Scratching around for reasons why, that do not invoke the Sun, they say that aerosols from industrial China were to blame. However, it ends by saying the 'recent hiatus' is more or less a hiccup. In other words, emissions (from China) have caused a 10 year cooling but this does not mean that emissions will not cause catastrophic global warmin g in the future. Both sides of the bread are buttered it seems.
Meanwhile, the Institute of Physics (see http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/07/05/study-solar-activity-lull-increase…) is warning that low solar activity over the next 50 years has raised the likelihood winters will be colder, on average, in the UK (and presumably in NW Europe). It seems global warming has gone before we have had a chance to enjoy it. No olive trees or bananas growing in the fields of southern England, then – rows of cabbages and leeks like the old days. The research is published in Environmental Research Letters (July 5th) and assume sun spot activity will continue to be quiet – but we shall see. However, the AGW gravy train is self evident as the authors aare not saying global warming is about to come to an end, just in the UK. It seems Greenland wil continue to get warmer they say – like in the Little Ice Age (?)
There is a new book by Dr Roy Spencer, released July 4th, Fundanomics: the Free Market Simplified with a cartoon by Josh on the front cover – see http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/07/05/roy-spencers-new-book/