The Earth’s average temperature is rising and scientists are studying the effects of this change with alarm. Sea levels around the world are changing, the number of severe storms and hurricanes each year is increasing, and the landscape is changing due to rapid desertification and crop loss. Written by an Earth scientist, Global Warming Alert! is a thoughtful look at how the way we live is affecting the planet. Topics include • the Greenhouse Effect — how greenhouse gases are produced and trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere by burning fossil fuels in our homes and automobiles • climate change and changes in long term weather patterns • how animal species are endangered by climate change • drowning islands and the loss of coastal living space • the history of Earth’s climate and the climate system • what we can do to reverse climate change