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Global Warming The debate on global warming has shifted. Worldwide, tailpipes and smokestacks spew 25 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year, and there's no longer doubt that this gas is heating the Earth. The new questions center around how much will our climate change, and how fast. NPR examines the issue.
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Special Series

Global Warming

The new debate on global warming is how much will our climate change, and how fast.

Thursday

Warming Eases Northwest Passage, Author Says

European explorers spent centuries searching for a passage through the ice at the top of the world. The Northwest Passage, a shortcut to Asia Europe, proved elusive until about 100 years ago. These days, thanks to global warming and a receding ice cover, the voyage is far easier to complete.

Warming Eases Northwest Passage, Author Says

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Monday

To Cool the Earth, Plan Would Pull a Shade

A recently announced plan to reduce the effects of global warming would send a huge glass shield into space, lining it up to deflect 2 percent of the sunlight bound for the Earth. Robert Siegel talks with Roger Angel, professor of Astronomy and Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, where he started the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab.

To Cool the Earth, Plan Would Pull a Shade

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Saturday

Backyards May Play Role in Climate Change

More than 5 billion tons of carbon dioxide enter the U.S. atmosphere each year. Scientists in Baltimore are studying whether backyards help absorb carbon dioxide, and by so doing, slow the pace of climate change.

Backyards May Play Role in Climate Change

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Monday

Ad Campaigns Highlight Effects of Global Warming

Recently, the Ad Council joined forces with the advocacy group Environmental Defense to launch "in-your-face" radio and TV ads urging Americans to fight global warming in their everyday lives. Bill Chameides, chief scientist with Environmental Defense, and Norris McDonald, president of the African American Environmentalist Association, discuss the current state of global warming.

Ad Campaigns Highlight Effects of Global Warming

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Sunday

Museums Take Different Views on Climate Change

Global warming is a hot-button issue in the nation's capital. Two museums in Washington, D.C. -- the Smithsonian and the National Academy of Sciences -- are tackling the phenomenon in very different ways. One links it to natural warming cycles in the Arctic, the other to harmful interference by humans.

Museums Take Different Views on Climate Change

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Friday

Greenland Glaciers Moving More Quickly to the Ocean

When glaciers on Greenland slide, they sometimes create earthquakes. Over the past five years, the number of these quakes has doubled. Scientists say it's another sign that global warming is speeding up the transfer of freshwater locked up in Arctic regions to the oceans, and it's moving faster than expected.

Greenland Glaciers Moving More Quickly to the Ocean

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Thursday

Climate Change Could Cause Rapid Rise in Sea Levels

Before the last ice age, global sea level was as much as 20 feet higher than it is today. Global warming is likely to push air temperatures back to the levels found 129,000 years ago in the next century so sea levels could rise much faster than expected.

Climate Change Could Cause Rapid Rise in Sea Levels

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Wednesday

'Weather Makers' Seeks to End Climate Debate

Fresh Air

Discussions of global warming and climate change often center around anecdote and cyclical analysis. Scientist Tim Flannery seeks to clarify current — and future — conditions in The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth.

'Weather Makers' Seeks to End Climate Debate

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Thursday

Effects of Global Warming Apparent in Bering Sea

Global warming has struck the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia. A new study shows that shifting temperatures already are having an impact on one of the Earth's richest habitats, affecting everything from walruses and fish to ducks and seals.

Effects of Global Warming Apparent in Bering Sea

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Thursday

Is Global Warming Threatening Polar Bear Habitats?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is studying whether the polar bear deserves to be on the list of threatened or endangered species. Many scientists believe that regions of the bear's usually icy habitat are threatened by global warming.

Is Global Warming Threatening Polar Bear Habitats?

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Wednesday

Evangelical Leaders Urge Action on Climate Change

In an "Evangelical Call to Action," 86 leaders call on President Bush to take greater steps toward curbing global warming. The initiative is a bit of a political departure for a movement that is often closely aligned with the president and the Republican Party.

Evangelical Leaders Urge Action on Climate Change

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Sunday

NASA Scientist Feels Pressure Over Global Warming

A government scientist claims that his superiors are silencing his public statements on global warming. NASA climate expert James Hansen went public with these accusations in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

NASA Scientist Feels Pressure Over Global Warming

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Saturday

Science Fiction Writers Target Global Warming

Debates over global warming are not confined to scientists and policymakers. They're showing up in science fiction. Rick Keffel of member station KUSP looks at how writers Michael Crichton, Kim Stanley Robinson and others treat the subject.

Science Fiction Writers Target Global Warming

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Tuesday

Hunting for the Threatened Ice Worm in Alaska

Polar bears get all the attention when it comes to species threatened by global warming. But little black ice worms, which live on glaciers, are just as much in danger. NASA officials say ice worms offer clues as to how life can exist in extreme environments, maybe unlocking mysteries about possible life on other planets or chilly moons. From Alaska Public Radio Network, Ashley Gross reports.

Hunting for the Threatened Ice Worm in Alaska

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Wednesday

Atlantic Ocean's 'Heat Engine' Chills Down

New research suggests something's happening to the so-called "conveyer belt" in the Atlantic Ocean -- the huge circulation system that takes warm waters from the south Atlantic and dumps them off the coast of Europe, keeping northern Europe relatively warm. Some believe global warming may be affecting this heat engine, but others are skeptical, given how complex the ocean can be. The debate is part of a larger effort by scientists to detect climate changes with sketchy data.

Atlantic Ocean's 'Heat Engine' Chills Down

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