Changing the climate is a family affair.

• Author: Simon, Seymour
• Position: The Environment

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A FULL-BLOWN discussion of global warming may be too complicated for preschoolers in your family, but elementary school-aged kids want to understand it. As I travel around the country speaking in schools, many children, teachers, parents, and caregivers ask me about the facts of global warming--and they want to know what they can do to help. Stress to your children that Earth is our home planet and that we appreciate and respect its wonders and want to take care of it.

Is global warming--or climate change--real? Most scientists say yes, and here is why: sea ice, particularly in the north polar regions, is retreating. A number of glaciers and the permafrost (the layer of the ground that remains frozen throughout the year) are melting and spring thaws are coming earlier. Moreover, many animal species are attempting to beat the heat by migrating northwards to cooler climates.

From one place to another, the warming varies, but the average global temperature is about one degree warmer than it was 100 years ago and probably the warmest in 1,000 years. (We know this by estimating past temperatures from tree rings.) Temperatures from one year to another swing naturally, but as far as science can tell, natural causes cannot explain what is happening now. Eleven of the warmest years in the last century and a half have occurred in the last 12 years. The last two decades of the 20th century were the hottest in more than 400 years.

It may not sound like much, but most scientists believe that the average temperature on Earth will increase by two to six degrees over the next century. That will change Earth's climate dramatically. For example, during the last ice age 18,000 years ago, average temperatures were only seven degrees colder than they are today, and that was enough of a difference that ice sheets and glaciers covered much of Canada and the U.S.

No one knows lot sure what global warming will bring. Probably some changes will be good. If you live in a cold climate, warmer temperatures might be welcome. Farmers may be able to grow different and better crops. However, hot days increase the possibilities of heat related problems such as air pollution, heat stress, and changes in food and water supplies. How people and nations adapt to global warming will determine how seriously it impacts human health. Very young children and elderly adults probably have the highest risks, while developing countries and low-income communities...