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Facts & Figures Often described as "global warming," recently accelerating changes in planetary climate patterns are the result of increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other heat-trapping "greenhouse gases" in the earth's atmosphere, caused primarily by the increased burning of fossil fuels and further accelerated by the destruction of the world's forests. Although it is a separate process, depletion of the ozone layer in the upper level of the earth's atmosphere also contributes to global warming by allowing more of the sun's energy to reach the earth's surface. Although still disputed by a very small minority of scientists and policy makers, evidence of global climate change is gaining frequency in the world's news. Ice in the polar regions has been melting much faster than scientists had predicted; roads in Alaska are buckling as the "permafrost" begins to melt; and 1998 remains the hottest year on record, with 2002 a close second. Many regions are experiencing severe droughts, including Africa, Australia, and the Western United States (contributing to last summer's devastating fires), while other regions have experienced flooding and increasingly violent storms. The changing climate is threatening water supplies worldwide, and many of the world's species are migrating toward the poles at unprecedented rates.
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