William Briggs notes the NASA posting last week arguing that the quiet sun is no big deal.

Why are people so interested in the length of the solar cycle? Easy. Because for years, most climatologists insisted that the role the sun plays in the climate was minimal. That is to say, changes in the behavior of the sun were not thought to be related to changes in the Earth’s climate. . . . Obviously, this attitude is starting to change. This press release is a tacit admission that some now admit some role of the sun in climatology.