Talk about putting your money where your mouth is!

The UK Guardian is reporting that two skeptics of global warming, Russian solar physicists Galina Mashnich and Vladimir Bashkirtse, have agreed to a $10,000 wager with British climate expert James Annan. The two Russian physicists are betting that Earth will experience a global drop in temperatures in the next dozen years or so:

To decide who wins the bet, the scientists have agreed to compare the average global surface temperature recorded by a US climate centre between 1998 and 2003, with temperatures they will record between 2012 and 2017.

If the temperature drops Dr Annan will stump up the $10,000 (now equivalent to about £5,800) in 2018. If the Earth continues to warm, the money will go the other way.

The bet is the latest in an increasingly popular field of scientific wagers, and comes after a string of climate change sceptics have refused challenges to back their controversial ideas with cash.

The article also has some interesting information on the views of the two Russian physicists.

The pair, based in Irkutsk, at the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, believe that global temperatures are driven more by changes in the sun’s activity than by the emission of greenhouse gases. They say the Earth warms and cools in response to changes in the number and size of sunspots. Most mainstream scientists dismiss the idea, but as the sun is expected to enter a less active phase over the next few decades the Russian duo are confident they will see a drop in global temperatures.

This should be an interesting story to watch unfold. Hopefully these two Russians can help strike another blow against the myth of “global warming.”

Stay tuned!