As the Waxman-Markey climate bill makes it way through Congress, it is more critical than ever to understand the basic science behind global warming. Complete with graphics, this short, two paragraph document concisely explains how our atmosphere is changing with rising greenhouse gas emissions.

The Wilderness Society has led a diverse coalition to ensure revenues from a cap-and-trade system go to protecting our natural resources from the effects of global warming. Recently, we produced a coalition factsheet that helps explains why natural resources matter, the risks global warming poses to these assets, and why it’s important to protect them.

Many places in Alaska are already showing signs of climate change. In order to better understand these changes and help land managers plan for them, Wilderness Society scientists estimated future temperature and precipitation values within several Alaska landmarks, including:

The Earth’s climate is changing. In the past, the climate warmed and cooled due to natural processes. Now humans are changing the climate by burning fossil fuels and permanently deforesting landscapes. Many of our wildlands are being stressed beyond their natural ability to adapt to these dramatic changes, and the full extent of how to deal with these changes remains unclear.

The Earth’s climate is changing. In the past, the climate warmed and cooled due to natural processes. Now humans are changing the climate by burning fossil fuels and permanently deforesting landscapes. Many of our wildlands are being stressed beyond their natural ability to adapt to these dramatic changes, and the full extent of how to deal with these changes remains unclear.