Global warming is the steady increase in the earth’s temperature that is causing chaotic weather around the world. Hurricanes, droughts, storms, high tides are striking more and more countries. The earth has never been hotter. Its average temperature is now the highest since scientists began measuring it 600 years ago. Since the middle of the 19th century, global temperatures have risen by 0.5 degrees Celsius. The earth has seen major changes in climate before. However, most scientists agree this period is different. Many believe the present changes are caused by our own activities. If that doesn’t change, many forms of life on our planet may not survive. In November 2000, delegates from more than 150 countries gathered in The Hague in the Netherlands to discuss how to fight global warming.

Scientists have announced that the layer of ice covering the Arctic Ocean has shrunk to an all-time low record. They say the ice could disappear altogether in future summers. The USA's National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said: "The ice cover is now just so thin and weak in the springtime that large parts of it can't survive the melt season…It's almost like parts of the Arctic have become a giant slushee at this time of year." It said more melting means there is less ice to reflect the sun's heat, which means the ocean gets warmer. This year's ice cover was fairly consistent with 2007 levels until July, after which it started disappearing at a faster rate. Meteorologists say a strong storm in early August could have broken up the thinner, weaker ice, making it melt faster.