In all probability, the disasters of the future will be worse than those of the past. This is our doing. If present trends of rising population continue, 10 to 15 billion people will be squeezed onto the earth's surface by the next century. Simply put, more of us are here to get in the way. Moreover, the way we are living is affecting the planetary climate. One of the most talked about effects of our industrial lifestyle is global warming. This is caused, in part, by the pumping of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. A rising tide may float all boats, but flood Congress. If predictions about global warming prove true, the polar ice caps may melt. Rising sea levels may inundate low lying regions of the world .
