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We expect the laws of nature that describe the universe to be exact, but what if that isn't true, wonders philosopher Eddy Keming Chen [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on a paper speculating on runaway climate change if the Earth warms by just two degrees Celsius and on broad reactions to the paper. He states that the Earth will likely warm by three or four degrees Celsius unless drastic environmental policy changes are enacted worldwide which would have significant impacts on lifestyles. He suggests that humanity can still prepare and adapt for the future impacts of climate change.

The article informs that a former senior administration official has accused the White House of subverting its Climate Change Science Program to serve political goals. Rick Piltz, who helped coordinate the $2 billion research effort, said programme assessments were being "misrepresented and misused". In a memo sent to government scientists and officials on June 1, Piltz singled out Philip Cooney, a lawyer and chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and chief climate negotiator Harlan Watson. Piltz said that Cooney had made hundreds of changes to scientific reports to downplay links between human activity and climate change.

Discusses the complexity of the bargains negotiated for the global climate treaty in 1990 with regard to the control of emissions of greenhouse gases. How money is less important to a nation's well-being than political security or independence; Suggestion that the original Antarctic treaty is inflexible; Need for a workable strategy for protecting the environment.