The Science and Politics of Global Warming

"Ready or not, here comes the scariest show on earth. Over 5,000 scientists, bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians, journalists and green activists have descended on The Hague for a summit to discuss implementing the United NationsKyoto treaty on climate change that was drawn up in 1997. It would be easy to be dismissive about this jamboree, especially as the hype surrounding it has been so extreme. Even so, this summit matters, because of something even scarier than the circusin The Hague: the prospect of climate change itself." Is it really happening? Are we responsible for global warming? Are there any beneficial impacts of global warming? Should we be worried? With charts and graphs, this article goes beyond the headlines and the hype to discusses the range of issues behind global climate change.