Well, This Is Interesting...from the LA Times, No Less

Updates

November 24, 2012: exhibit #1 why global warmers are bull of "BS" -- a timeline of man and global warming. They start with Aristotle in 300BC and jump to 1896, conveniently forgetting the global warming period in 1500, documented by the Vikings; but most interesting: the timeline notes that the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997 but then conveniently neglects to mention that Canada withdrew from the protocol in 2011. The timeline authors spin the story of the 2011 conference which fell apart in disagreement; the best they could do was agree that they would re-convene in 2015 and negotiate a new accord applicable to all. Countries like West Germany were no longer interested in giving China a pass. The US has never signed the Kyoto Protocol.

But starting with Aristotle's observation of local weather phenomena....will it ever end, the BS? The timeline did not include a link to a video of a starving polar bear.

Original Post

Link to LA Times story here.

Centuries before the Industrial Revolution or the recognition of global warming, the ancient Roman and Chinese empires were already producing powerful greenhouse gases through their daily toil, according to a new study.

The burning of plant matter to cook food, clear cropland and process metals released millions of tons of methane gas into the atmosphere each year during several periods of pre-industrial history, according to the study, published Thursday in the journal Nature.  

Although the quantity of methane produced back then pales in comparison with the emissions released today — the total amount is roughly 70 times greater now — the findings suggest that man's footprint on the climate is larger than previously realized. Until now, it was assumed by scientists that human activity began increasing greenhouse gas levels only after the year 1750.

Now, about that pesky little problem of the Medieval Warm Period, 800 - 1300 AD, when the Vikings were visiting Greenland.