with very low sunspot counts,
which means low solar activity.
There were four minimums
during the Little Ice Age" period,
shown in the chart below.
If solar energy was
the major cause
of climate change,
then you'd expect
to see cooling
during a minimum,
perhaps reaching
the coldest
at the end of the minimum.
The Maunder Minimum
was very cold --
probably at least
2 degrees C. colder than today,
according to climate reconstructions
and some measured temperatures
in England --- but there was
no cooling trend year after year.
The other three Little Ice Age
minimums are different.
There were also periods
of cold climate between minimums,
and sometimes a rising
temperature trend
during a minimum,
the opposite of
what you'd expect.
If you don't trust
climate proxy reconstructions,
there is some anecdotal evidence!
Anecdotal written evidence
confirms the Maunder Minimum
was very cold and
people hated the cold,
but not that many complaints
about the other three minimums.
The four
Little Ice Age minimums,
as a group,
are not strong evidence that
sunspot counts / solar energy variations
are an important cause
of climate change.
If you focus ONLY on
the Maunder Minimum,
that would be cherry-picking data!
Inconclusive,
just like all climate science!
