As the earth is constantly heated by the sun and we have the law of conservation of energy. Why is the Earth not constantly warming up?

Question

So we have long-term Ice-Ages, but also relatively short term ([https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/changes-in-earth-temperature.php](https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/changes-in-earth-temperature.php)).

When the temperature is going down (on average), where does the energy go?

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PS. I am fully convinced we have climate change, we are the problem, etc. I only care about the ‘scientific’ answer.

In: Earth Science

Answer 1

Although our atmosphere is pretty good and keeing the heat energy in, it still radiates heat away and also allows a portion of the surface heat to be radiated away. On the “night side” of the earth it radiates away heat without receiving new sunlight, which is how it cools down at night.