Now that the ball has dropped on 2008, it’s time we turn to face the harsh realities of climate change, and according to three independent studies, last year’s trends are not encouraging.  Reports from the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization, NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies, and the U.S. National Climatic Data Center show that last year was a relatively cool year, but chaotic weather patterns and a general warming trend in recent decades are cause for concern.  Retreating arctic ice, warmer winters, and “exceptionally unusual” weather patterns have come to be disturbingly normal for our planet.  The Wall Street Journal reports:

“I wouldn’t run for the hills,” says glacier analyst Eric Rignot at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “But it might be time to start walking.”

As the evidence mounts for human influenced climate change, skeptics need to open their eyes or step out of the way.  We should all make a New Year’s resolution to do what we can to reduce our impact on the planet and drastically reduce carbon emissions.

takepart by learning what you can do to help solve the climate crisis in 2009.

Related:  Inconvenient Truth of the Day

Graph: Wall Street Journal