inspiration that is much needed when the impacts of global climate change are all around us. Based on the globally averaged temperature, 2012 was the tenth-warmest year since record-keeping began in 1880, and 2001-2012 rank among the 14 warmest years in this 133-year period. In the United States, 2012 was the warmest on record for the contiguous states and one of the most extreme with respect to temperature, precipitation, and tropical cyclones; 2013 promises to continue with respect to extreme weather events (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2012). Where is this climate change coming from? Overwhelming evidence points to the increasing amount of greenhouse gases--particularly carbon dioxide--in our atmosphere, a result of our insatiable consumption of fossil fuels (Bernstein and others 2008). While writing this text, the alarming milestone of 400 ppm atmospheric CO2 was surpassed--an ominous harbinger of climate change to come-- |