Maunder Minimum

Harpers reports very briefly on new research about our sun entering a Maunder Minimum which "could lead to a period of global cooling lasting as long as a century".

The Wikipedia entry mentions greatly reduced sunspot activity and then offers this:

The Maunder Minimum coincided with the middle — and coldest part — of the Little Ice Age, during which Europe and North America, and perhaps much of the rest of the world, were subjected to bitterly cold winters. Whether there is a causal connection between low sunspot activity and cold winters is the subject of ongoing debate.

Harpers does not identify the researchers, but with a brief search, I found this...

It's always been fun to point out that scientists were greatly concerned about global cooling in the mid-1970s. If one takes the current consensus seriously, it'd be great-- and great fun-- to see global cooling return to the front pages.