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Adrianne,
Climate is a very complex phenomenon, which is why it is so hard to separate the effects of many pieces. The scientific consensus that has developed is the result of enormous amounts of research by specialists is many different fields and subfields.
To answer your specific question, the research addresses CHANGES in the Sun, not the Sun's total output, and compares those to observed changes in climate.
The conclusion is that climate change is opposite to what would be expected from solar changes, so there must be other factors that are causing a change in the opposite direction.
The Lockwood study addresses only the changing solar component, which the International Panel on Climate Change has concluded is responsible for no more than 10% of the observed climate change.
The IPCC's conclusion is that to a high degree of certainty, human activities are responsible for most of the change, mainly by producing CO2 at a rate faster than natural "sinks" can absorb it. Since CO2 is a very small part of the atmosphere but has a large greenhouse effect, human activity can change its fraction considerably and thereby heat the planet.
The Lockwood study is one small piece of evidence supporting the consensus view.
I hope this helps.
Fred Bortz -- Science and technology books for young readers (www.fredbortz.com) and Science book reviews (www.scienceshelf.com)