Frozen Legacy

Earth's climate since its origin has been understood to be in a state of flux. Its geological record has been one of wide variation over time and remains the subject of research whose results still remain controversial. Is climate change being driven by human activity, variations in energy received from the Sun or both? We know that solar energy is known to change over an 11-year cycle and that variations over longer periods have also occurred as well. Non-withstanding the above climatic factors, current global warming effects may present more immediate threats to worldwide stability. Negative environmental impacts of melting glaciers, ice caped land mass and permafrost upon sizable coastal populations needs to be promptly addressed if further large scale migration and conflict is to be avoided.