Daniel Grossman, for the Pulitzer Center
Copenhagen, Denmark
Planet Earth's average temperature has risen about one degree Fahrenheit in the last fifty years. By the end of this century it will be several degrees higher, according to the latest climate research. This global warming is caused in part by the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide and other so-called "greenhouse gasses" we put in the air as we drive our cars, produce our energy and food, and make, use and discard all the stuff of modern life.
But global warming is doing more than simply making things a little warmer. It's changing rainfall, causing heat waves and making sea level rise, all of which create real human suffering. A year of reporting in France, southern Africa, Bangladesh and India showed that global warming is already influencing the lives of people around the world.
Daniel Grossman and WBUR Radio present: "Heat of the Moment," a radio documentary in three parts. Click below to begin listening.
Part 1: Heat Waves - Paris
Part 2: Sea Level Rise - Sunderbans Islands
Part 3: Drought - South Africa
This story was reported for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting as part of the Copenhagen News Collaborative, a cooperative project of several independent news organizations. Check out the feed here from Mother Jones.