# Could Human Activity Prevent a new  Ice Age?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-human-activity-prevent-a-new-ice-age/431206>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 25, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-human-activity-prevent-a-new-ice-age/431206 "2007-12-25T15:29:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-human-activity-prevent-a-new-ice-age/431206/1 "2007-12-25T15:29:54Z")

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Suppose the Russian astronomer is right-and the sun is a variable star. The earth begins to cool off, as solar activity and output of energy declines. Studies suggest that ice ages can come on suddenly-suppose we notice mountain glaciers strating to grow again. Would we be wise to start burning coal like crazy? Could we keep the earth warm in this way?

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-human-activity-prevent-a-new-ice-age/431206/2 "2007-12-25T15:40:08Z")

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You may find this recent GD thread to be of interest:  
[New Ice Age…what would we do?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=448078)

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**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-human-activity-prevent-a-new-ice-age/431206/3 "2007-12-25T17:42:08Z")

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Niven & Pournelle did a novel, Fallen Angels, where it was found out that we were _already_ in an ice age, and the only thing that was stopping it were humans’ greenhouse-gas activities. We cleaned up our act, and shortly after mile-thick sheets of ice covered the northern hemisphere. Oops.

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**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-human-activity-prevent-a-new-ice-age/431206/4 "2007-12-25T17:55:43Z")

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[QUOTE=ralph124c]  
Suppose the Russian astronomer is right-and the sun is a variable star. The earth begins to cool off, as solar activity and output of energy declines. Studies suggest that ice ages can come on suddenly-suppose we notice mountain glaciers strating to grow again. Would we be wise to start burning coal like crazy? Could we keep the earth warm in this way?  
[/QUOTE]

Or what about spreading some dark colored organic substance on the approaching ice?