In about 45 years, temperatures on Earth will be hotter than
at anytime during the past one million years, says the U.S. (36)
top climatologist in a new report (37)
today. According to the report, published in the
(38) of the National Academy of Sciences, the planet is just two
degrees shy of an (39) temperature of 59 degrees Fahrenheit,
which is what they (40) the temperature was about a million
years ago. NASA’s James Hansen, along with (41)
from the University of California and Columbia University, are for the
first time, marking a (42) signaling the approach of
temperatures that humans have never (43) "Humans are now in
control of the Earth’s climate, for better or worse," Hansen says. (44) . What that temperature change
means is that by mid-century, the world will experience even more record heat
waves, wildfires, more intense storms and flooding. In other parts of the
world, (45) . Hansen stresses we can’t wait
that long to cut greenhouse gas pollution, because of the decades it takes for
the climate system to respond to changes. (46) .