What Were They Burning Back Then?

Yet another Global Warming study is warning us of impending doom if we don't bow before the goddess, Kyoto. According to the AFP story, the study says (emphasis mine):

An extraordinary burst of global warming that occurred around 55 million years ago dramatically reversed Earth's pattern of ocean currents . . .

The article goes on to explain why they think this 55 million year old event is on the verge of recurring and why that's a bad thing. What they don't explain is what evidence they have that there is anything we can do to stop it. If a global warming event occured 55 million years ago - long before we were a twinkle in Piltdown man's forged eye - why should we believe that the current warming is anything other than a geological cycle over which we have little or no control? Does it make any sense to spend trillions of dollars, bankrupt nations and let the poor starve just to perform some leftist rite of absolution? Oh, yeah. I forgot. It doesn't matter as long as you are really, really sincere.