(editor'snote)

In the coming election year, you're apt to hear political candidates speechifying about Unprecedented Times and New Eras as proof that our age occupies a unique niche in history. Such sentiments hardly ring hollow since 9/11. But one issue that may truly make or break the planet—climate change—has been confined mostly to the domain of scientists and science reporters.

Carol Browner calls it "the greatest environmental health problem the world has ever seen" ("New Chair in Charge"). Browner, Audubon's new board chair, speaks from experience, having been chief of the Environmental Protection Agency from 1993 through 2001, the longest term in EPA history. For the Audubon staff, the crisis has really hit home over the past year as our reporters have filed from the far-flung corners of the globe for this special issue. Adélie penguins are disappearing from parts of Antarctica ("On Thin Ice"); the Great Barrier Reef's Technicolor coral is fading into oblivion ("Color Blindness"); and the Alaskan Arctic and glaciers in Glacier National Park are turning to mush ("The Hottest Spot" and "Meltdown"). These tragedies are unlikely to occur in your grandchild's lifetime or your child's lifetime. Actually, they'll probably happen in your lifetime, within a decade or two.

Too much gloom and doom? Please keep going. As Adlai Stevenson liked to say, it's better to light the candle than to curse the darkness. In this issue, Audubon illuminates many of the most promising efforts to confront climate change. Across the country, 27 states have adopted policies that are forcing the federal government's hand ("Global Warning"). In Washington several bipartisan bills on climate change are in play. While Democrats like presidential hopeful Joseph Lieberman are taking the lead, stalwart Republicans like Senators John McCain and Lamar Alexander and New York Governor George Pataki are championing the cause as well. In the private sector, two dozen major companies are reducing emissions; and these are not corporations of the Ben and Jerry's variety but heavy-duty types such as British Petroleum. Meanwhile, in prairie pothole country, farmers and scientists, backed by Audubon Dakota, are pioneering a project that can help offset the rise of greenhouse gases while preserving vast stretches of bird habitat ("Pots of Gold").

Perhaps you'll be inspired to post our special pullout section of what you can do to fight global warming ("Playing It Cool") on your refrigerator door or to share it with a friend. It exhorts you to recycle, ride the bus, and take other small steps that can have a cumulative impact. Even better, pressure public officials on the local and national levels. We all have a date with destiny if we want to avoid becoming, as Carol Browner says, "the first generation to leave subsequent generations a problem they cannot solve."