Ice melting sooner than ever in spite of solar low

Solar minimums are statistically cooler periods and it's known that the Little Ice Age was coincident with a particularly long period with almost no solar spots. In this line long-term weather forecasts at the beginning of the year had suggested that the effects of global warming could be slightly delayed or less noticeable for this reason, as the Sun has been without spots for a couple of years now.

But reality is grimmer than expectations: arctic ice is still melting even earlier than ever before (and 2007 was record-breaking) and some Russian scientists are facing emergency evaquation after their ice plate shrank a lot more and a lot earlier than expected.

I bet we will still find some stubborn people who will be denying the reality. But I warn them: normally reality is more stubborn than the most stubborn of persons. That's why pragmatism is such a valued quality.