PART IV

OUR WARMING SKIES

When we consider the fate of the planet as a whole, we must be under no illusions as to what is at stake. Earth’s average temperature is around 59° F, and whether we allow it to rise by a single degree or 5° F will decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of species, and most probably billions of people. Never in the history of humanity has there been a cost-benefit analysis that demands greater scrutiny.

—TIM FLANNERY, THE WEATHER MAKERS