For the past few decades, everyone has heard the talk of global warming. Studies have shown melting of glaciers in the north and south poles. Some scientists have made predictions about the extinction of polar bears and penguins. But the cries of global warming are dying out. Now, theories of the opposite problem, global cooling, are popping up.

In the 1960s and 70s global cooling was a hot issue, but it has since been masked by global warming. However, in the past few years, more and more studies have shown traces of global cooling. Studies of global cooling have been proven by decreasing sun spots. Sun spots are defined as regions on the solar surface that appear dark because they are cooler than the surrounding photosphere. Low sunspot activity is associated with periods such as the 1600s which is known as the “Little Ice Age”. High sun spot activity is associated with warm periods like the 1970s-90s. Recently, scientists have noticed decreasing sun spot activity which leads them to believe that the planet will experience substantial cooling in the next decades. Scientists have noticed these signs of cooling for the past couple years. A Russian science team concluded last year that the planet is heading towards another “Little Ice Age” which could be in full swing by 2055.

From the summer of 2012 to the summer of 2013, the ice sheet on the north pole grew 533,000 square miles, making BBC’s 2006 prediction that the Arctic ice sheet will disappear by 2013, completely irrelevant. 

Just in these past few months, there have been unusual levels of snowfall that point towards theories of global cooling. A week ago, the Middle East experienced an unprecedented snowstorm causing Jerusalem to shut down. Cairo, Egypt received snow for the first time in 112 years. Also in the past few weeks, meteorologists have noticed snow covering reaching unusually far south in the United States. Around the time of December 12, the nation is usually only about 30% covered with snow. This year, it is more than double the average. Parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas that hardly ever see snow have already been impacted by storms. 

Scientists expect that talk of global warming will soon start to die out and be replaced by talk of global cooling which is believed to be an imminent danger for the planet.