years is too short of an interval to meaningfully capture the extent of climate change, but one area that stands out for its rapid deterioration is Arctic sea melt. Every summer, part of the Arctic Ocean melts away and historically, about half of it is gone by September. Since scientists began monitoring

hange is distant — distant in time, and distant in space." 2012 was the hottest year on record. 2011 carbon dioxide emissions the highest on record; Arctic sea ice shrank to a record low; the world's largest trees are dying at an alarming rate, I could go on and on. Scientists are telling us that we are ap

ses on the fact that the Arctic is getting warmer faster than almost anywhere else on Earth. Over the past three decades, the average extent of the Arctic sea ice has declined by 25 to 30 percent, and the rate of decline is accelerating. At this rate, it appears that within this century, and perhaps in the

our grandchildren. BILL MOYERS: But you've seen the stories: 2012 the hottest year on record; 2011 carbon dioxide emissions the highest on record; Arctic sea ice shrank to a record low; the world's largest trees are dying at an alarming rate, I could go on and on. These are signs and signals, are they no

dia. 2012 has been a year of alarming extremes — record smashing heat, historic droughts and wildfires, Hurricane Sandy, record-breaking melting of Arctic sea ice. We just passed the 333rd consecutive month of global temperatures above the 20th-century average. Climate scientists now say it's growing worse

greatest hoaxes perpetrated out of the scientific community. It is a hoax. There is no scientific consensus." Many researchers point to a decline in Arctic sea ice, an increase in droughts, and changing rain and snow patterns as signs of climate change. - Rep. Paul Broun (R-Georgia), 2009, at a debate over

rcent each decade. If these trends continue, late-summer sea ice could disappear from the Arctic as early as early as 2030. Due to its light color, Arctic sea ice reflects most of the sunlight that reaches it back into space. In contrast, dark ocean water absorbs most of the sunlight. As sea ice continues

on people and the environment. Some=impacts already being observed included rising sea levels, a warmer and mo=e acidic ocean, melting glaciers and Arctic sea ice and more frequent and =ntense heat waves. "Science has spoken. There is no amb=guity in their message. Leaders must act. Time is not on our side

and more intense. It is also "very likely" that extreme rainfall events, such as the deluge in Colorado last month, will become more common; that "Arctic sea ice cover will continue to shrink and thin" in coming decades; that "Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover will decrease" and that "global glacier v