Feeling The Heat

Except for nuclear war or a collision with an asteroid, no force has more potential to damage our planet's web of life than global warming. It's a "serious" issue, the White House admits, but nonetheless George W. Bush has decided to abandon the 1997 Kyoto treaty to combat climate change--an agreement the U.S. signed but the new President believes is fatally flawed. His dismissal last week of almost nine years of international negotiations sparked protests around the world and a face-to-face disagreement with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. Our special report examines the signs of global warming that are already apparent, the possible consequences for our future, what we can do about the threat and why we have failed to take action so far.