The 1990s was the hottest decade of the hottest century in a thousand years. The impacts of a warmer climate are being seen across the planet. Glaciers are melting worldwide and average sea level has risen by between four and eight inches during the last century.
Winters are warmer and spring is coming as much as two weeks earlier.
In New England, the frequency of severe storms and heavy rainfall events is increasing. Future impacts of rapid global warming and climate instability in the Northeast are likely to include severe coastal flooding, extinction of vulnerable plant and animal species, the spread of Lyme disease, more frequent ozone alerts and disruptions to agriculture, forestry and tourism. Summary overviews of recent science related to climate change, from Harvard Medical School s Center for Health and the Global Environment . The US Environmental Protection Agency's global warming site, including information on federal programs and assistance. The US National Assessment on Climate Change and the New England Regional Assessment provide the latest on potential climate impacts.