Jeremy Leggett

Global warming is a phenomenon that could potentially alter the earth’s biosphere and harm plants and animals. In the following viewpoint, Jeremy Leggett argues that the pumping of greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and others—into the atmosphere could result in a worst-case scenario of runaway global warming in the twenty-first century. Leggett contends that in this scenario, most of the earth would suffer ecologically and economically because of the damage to animals and vegetation. Leggett is the director of science for Greenpeace International’s Atmosphere and Energy Campaign based in Cambridge, England.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What is albedo, according to Leggett?
2. What would be the effect of melting ice around the Arctic ice cap, in Leggett’s opinion?
3. According to the author, what...