Global Warning? Global Warming? Which is it? Well, probably both if you take the position of Al Gore, and many climate change scientists. As you know, Gore put together a slide show on the danger posed by the warming of Planet Earth, and then was approached by film producers to use the slide show as a basis for full length film, (An Inconvenient Truth) which was presented at the Cannes Film Festival. Gore then went on to the Hay Literature Festival (a town in Wales) to discuss not only his film, but the book that accompanies the film. Although Gore is a politician, he is as well qualified as many scientists in his understanding of climate change. Some years ago he wrote the book, Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit.

Temperature Rising, an article in this week’s U.S. News & World Report, points out that we may have to live with feeling a bit warmer. There are many consequences of an increasingly warmer planet earth. Melting glaciers, polar caps and ice result in a rise of sea level. Increasing warmth of the ocean results in increasing frequency and intensity of storms such as hurricanes. In the U.S., as in any region of the world, the effects of global warming will vary. For example, in the Southeast, where I live, low lying areas will be more vulnerable to hurricances, sea level rise, storm surges and the intrusion of salt water into wetlands. On the other hand, Alaska is experiencing increased thawing of permafrost. In the northeast, milder winters could continue along with greater precipitation and increased flooding—New England has seen some of most severe floods in the past year.

So what should be done? Some countries and companies are already becoming more efficient when comes to using energy—the chief culprit causing an increase in greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. The major decision about controlling emissions into the atmosphere was proposed via the Kyoto Protocol. The U.S. has not ratified the protocol, although 163 states and regional economic integration organizations have deposited instruments of ratifications, accessions, approvals or acceptances.