This week's New Scientist has a fascinating, but very scary, article that postulates what the world will look like later this century if the average temperature increases by only 4 degrees, a scenario that many scientists believe is likely.

The article does not paint a particularly rosy picture.

Humanity is predicted to survive, but will suffer from a significant decline in population with the survivors having to migrate towards the poles, concentrated in places such the UK, Greenland, Scandinavia and Northern Russia. Wars over resources (food, energy, water) are likely and many species are predicted to become extinct. It is a terrifying vision, and is not the draft script from Hollywood.

People living on the plant today could experience this. Time really is running out.