Dennis T. Avery

In the following viewpoint, Dennis T. Avery argues that the anticipated global warming of 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit over the twenty-first century will have many positive impacts. According to Avery a warmer earth will result in lush forests, a decrease in climate-related disasters, increased food production, and a healthier human population. He describes a medieval period when temperatures increased by an amount similar to what is currently forecasted, and he concludes that this warming had a favorable impact on the world’s population at the time. Avery is director of the Center for Global Food Issues within the Hudson Institute, a public policy research organization in Indianapolis.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the author, when did the earth’s temperature warm by some 4 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit...