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climate change

Change attributed directly or indirectly to human activity and which is in addition to natural climate variability. The observable signs of climate change include a rise in sea levels and average temperatures, the thawing of the permafrost, an increase in the number of tropical storms, and the shrinking of the ice cap. Climate change represents a greater threat to human populations than terrorism. It is also worthwhile noting that the rate of species extinction in our era is the highest it has been since the cataclysm that brought about the disappearance of the dinosaurs.