CO2 is both a symptom and a reinforcing cause of temperature change.
CO2 and temperature are correlated in proxies of the past, typically with a lag period where CO2 follows temperature. presumably by equilibrium forces driven by natural factors.
the recent increase of CO2 concentration is mostly manmade, therefore correlations of the past are not reliable predictors of what is happening now.
Of course past responses of CO2 are valid. Are you kidding me? The best way to understand future climate changes is to study past climate changes. You are effectively saying pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, Ian.
I didn't say past responses of CO2 were not valid. I said the present levels of CO2 increase are mostly man made and therefore do not reflect a naturally driven homeostasis.
Burning sequestered carbon to produce CO2 is a decidedly unnatural factor. Millions of years of stored carbon has been released in a single century.
The medieval warm period was roughly equal in warmth to today. Where are the proxy records showing a 100 ppm increase in CO2? And that is for only a thousand years ago, where we should have a good grasp of the situation. The further back in time that we go, the less accuracy and sensitivity there is.
I believe increased CO2 has a warming influence but I do not believe it is the only factor. The water cycle has kept the Earth in a very tight temperature range for billions of years despite even larger disruptions to the system. It will continue to do so.