What's Up With The Weather?
A look back to the politics of climate science in the year 2000

During the first part of the video "What's Up With The Weather?" from NOVA and Frontline (April 18, 2000), evidence was presented supporting the fact that  humans are causing the planet's climate to change. The first part of the video also explored the (now refuted) claims of a few climate scientists that there was not enough evidence to make that assumption. 

Before watching the second part, read a recent news article about climate change so you can make connections between when the video was made in 2000 and what is happening now. 

While watching the second part of the video, or while reading the transcript of the video available at http:// www.pbs.org/ wgbh/ nova/ transcripts/ 27gwwarming.html, take notes and answer the following questions.

1. Why will increased forest growth as a result of added CO₂ not permanently remove CO₂ from the air?

2. What kinds of information are used by super-computer programs to model climate change?

3.  How could global warming cause cooling of  Europe?

4. Why was it necessary for the United States to take the central leadership role at the Kyoto Conference?

5. Why is the energy use of developing nations such as China so critical to controlling global warming?

6. What happened to the US  role as the world leader in controlling climate change? Why?