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Show Sees '6 Degrees' Of Trouble For Earth

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By KURT LOFT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 10, 2008

TAMPA - A casual look at the Earth's geologic time scale shows a planet in flux, with the oceans, atmosphere and land masses revealing both subtle and dramatic changes over eons.

If that time scale could be squeezed into an hour, humans would make their appearance a split second before midnight. Yet in that fleeting moment, we have left a mark that set in motion a relentless chain of events.

This is the thinking of scientists who say we are severely altering ecosystems on a global scale. Among the most publicized is global warming, a result of the greenhouse effect, when more of the sun's radiation remains trapped in the atmosphere.

The jury may be out on all the causes, but evidence suggests a disruption in the balance of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. The big question is its long-range impact on our world.

A new television documentary offers an eye-opening, if somewhat contentious, look at the consequences of incremental rises in the Earth's average temperature. What might happen if temperatures rise anywhere between 1 and 6 degrees Celsius?

The warning signs play out in "Six Degrees Could Change the World," airing at 8 tonight on cable television's National Geographic Channel.

The two-hour special treats each 1-degree rise as a separate chapter and visualizes the im

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