We are already in what was the future when some of us read sf in the 1960's. We have long passed Volumes I and II of Robert Heinlein's Future History and did not have the World War III of Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History although we could just still be in the Chaos of the latter's Technic History. However, we are unlikely to have a University on the Moon in 2057. Expansion into the Solar System has not happened on the time scale expected by Arthur C. Clarke. We always said that the future would be unexpected. We were right.
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For most of the history of life on earth, temperatures were about 10 degrees warmer and there were no polar ice caps or glaciers. We have those because we're in an interstadial period in an Ice Age.
OTOH, a few hundred million years ago, earth froze all the way to the equator -- "Snowball Earth".
Violent climate swings are normal.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Absolutely! You reminded me of how Pournelle/Niven/Flynn co-authored a very fascinating novel, FALLEN ANGELS, about how a new Ice Age started in the late 20th century, because of less heat being radiated by the Sun. The story tells of how attempts to cope with the new Ice Age was crippled by idiotic "environmentalist" opposition to using advanced tech. I also loved the references to many well-known SF writers and fandom.
Ad astra! Sean
If interstellar explorers found an exoplanet in a 'snowball earth' phase it would be a prime candidate for terraforming. Some big mirrors adding just enough sunlight to bring parts of the surface to 0 C would start a runaway melting.
In L.M. Bujold's novel Cryoburn, there are a few hints that the planet on which most of the action takes place, Kibou-daini, was in such a condition when found and the melting of the icesheets is an still going on.
Kaor, Jim!
I love that idea, terraforming an extrasolar planet in a "snowball Earth" phase! And that use of big mirrors for reversing glaciation was the plan recommended in A STONE IN HEAVEN for Ramnu.
Talwin, which we see in A CIRCUS OF HELLS, also comes to mind as a planet whose inhabitants suffer from the effects of glaciation. E.g., the Domrath have to spend most of their lives hibernating during the annual glaciation. But the situation on Talwin is much more complex than that of Ramnu--and requires extreme caution.
Ad astra! Sea
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