Climate In 1995, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a collection of more than 2,000 scientists and technical experts from industry, government and academia, concluded that there has been "a discernable human influence on the global climate." By burning carbon-rich fossil fuels and cutting down vast tracts of forests, humans have increased the carbon content of the Earth's atmosphere by 30% since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. As levels of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases increase, they act as a blanket, trapping heat in the atmosphere. In the last century, the average surface temperature of the planet has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit. Rising temperatures can have devastating health and environmental impacts for the majority of the planet. The rise in temperatures has already had a discernable effect on the planet. Glaciers have been melting up to seven times faster than in previous decades; intense storms have been more frequent in some regions, while rainfall has decreased in others; tropical diseases such as dengue fever and malaria have been spreading into new areas in South America, North America and Africa; and warming in the oceans has triggered the disappearance of zooplankton, krill and algae. International Europe North America International   Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change www.ipcc.ch Up-to-date information on the science, impacts, social and economic aspects of climate change. Pew Center on Global Climate Change www.pewclimate.org The Pew Center On Global Climate Change brings a new cooperative approach and critical scientific, economic and technological expertise to the global debate on climate change. Established in 1998 by the Pew Charitable Trusts, major companies and other organizations are working together through the Center to educate the public on the risks, challenges and solutions to climate change. United Nations Climate Change Site www.unfccc.de This is the official web site of the Convention Secretariat on climate change. Europe   CICERO www.cicero.uio.no CICERO - Center for International Climate and Environmental Research - Oslo was established by the Norwegian government in April 1990 as a non-profit organization associated with the University of Oslo. CICERO conducts research in the areas of technology, the natural sciences, economics, law, and politics is needed to give policy-makers the best possible information on which to base decisions affecting the Earth's climate. North America   Canada's Global Climate Change Site www.climatechange.gc.ca C'est le site Web du gouvernement du Canada sur les changements climatiques. Ce site a été mis sur pied afin d'informer les Canadiens au sujet des changements climatiques et de leur incidence sur l'environnement. Le site décrit les mesures adoptées par le gouvernement du Canada en vue des'attaquer au probl�me des changements climatiques. De plus, pour contribuer � la protection de l'environnement, il propose des moyens � la portée de tous les Canadiens, qu'il s'agisse de particuliers, de collectivités, d'entrepriser d'industries ou des divers ordres de gouvernement. U.S. EPA Global Warming site www.epa.gov/globalwarming The Environmental Protection Agency's site on global warming. Contains sections on climate systems: "What is the problem? What do we know?"; impacts: "How serious is it? Now? In the future?"; and actions: "What's being done? What can I do?" Union of Concerned Scientists www.ucsusa.org UCS is citizens and scientists working together for a common goal: a healthy environment and a safe world, for today and for the next century. They focus on encouraging responsible stewardship of the global environment and life-sustaining resources; promoting energy technologies that are renewable, safe, and cost effective; transforming the nation's transportation system away from use of polluting fuels; curtailing weapons proliferation; and promoting sustainable agriculture.