Two major reports on climate change have been published in recent weeks, adding to the already imposing evidence that we humans are changing our planet in ways that threaten our own livelihoods and interests. The report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (United Nations) and the American Climate Assessment are available in both summary and detailed form. They include historic trends, predictions for the future, and suggested courses of action. The reports leave no doubt about some basic conclusions. Climate change is under way. Burning fossil fuels adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and that is a major cause of climate change. Deforestation reduces the environment’s ability to remove the CO2. It is clear that human actions are the major causes of climate change. The changes on their way include extreme variance in weather – droughts in some places, floods in others, sea level rise, ocean acidification, and gradual death of coral reefs. We can slow them down, but it is too late to prevent them. Continue reading ADDICTION TO FOSSIL FUEL →