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Male narrator: All across the planet,
nations and cities are working to reduce
their dependence on fossil fuels
and promote sustainable energy options.
Mayor Annise Parker: Because it's the smart thing,
because it makes business sense,
and it's the right thing.
Narrator: In China, Europe and Brazil,
energy innovations are changing how we live.
And in the U.S. every branch of the military
is mobilizing to cut its carbon boot print.
Rear Admiral David Titley: We really believe
that the climate is changing.
Narrator: In this program,
Richard Alley presents evidence that the planet is warming
and shares what earth science tells us
about clean, green energy opportunities.
I'm Richard Alley.
I'm a geologist at Penn State University,
but my research has taken me around the planet,
from Greenland to Antarctica.
I'm fascinated by how our climate
has changed dramatically, and often,
from times with ice everywhere
to no ice anywhere on the planet.
Records of past climate help us learn how Earth operates.
What has happened, can happen again.
And I know that sometimes things change really fast.
I'm a registered Republican,
play soccer on Saturdays, and go to church on Sundays.
I'm a parent and a professor.
I worry about jobs for my students
and my daughters' future.
I've been a proud member of the U.N. panel
on climate change-- and I know the risks.
And I've worked for an oil company,
and know how much we all need energy.
And the best science shows we'll be better off
if we address the twin stories of climate change and energy,
and that the sooner we move forward, the better.
Our use of fossil fuels
for energy is pushing us towards a climate
unlike any seen in the history of civilization,
but a growing population needs more and more clean energy.
But I believe science offers us an Operators' Manual
with answers to both of these huge challenges.
Female announcer: "Earth: The Operators' Manual"
is made possible by NSF, the National Science Foundation
where discoveries begin.