clipped from www.greatestplanet.org

Today, however, such clichés have an edge to them, because we know that humans play a role in determining the course of climate. When we hear about Arctic tundra melting or a devastating hurricane, we're now forced to consider the fingerprints of humanity - and that's going well beyond small talk. Indeed, climate change is as much a divider as weather has traditonally been a unifier. Weather has always seemd to transcend politics, but human-induced climate change is wedded to politics: it's an outgrowth of countless decisions made by local, regional and national governments, as well as individuals and corporations. Sadly, it's also become - particularly in the US - a polarised subject, linked to other issues so frequently that it often serves as shorthand for one's entire world view.