An Analysis of Climate Forcings from the Central England Temperature (CET) Record

The Central England Temperature (CET) record is the world's longest instrument-based temperature record and covers the years 1659-present. The temperature variation of 0.8°C between the Maunder Sunspot Minimum in the late 17th Century and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-late 18th Century can be explained by fluctuations in solar output (TSI) alone. Thereafter, approximately one third of the temperature increase to the present may be attributed to increases in atmospheric CO2, with the anthropogenic contribution to Global Warming/Climate Change up to the end of the 20th Century estimated at 0.4 to 0.5°C.