says in a paper he presented at a sym- 

 posium in May. 



And the Tar Heel coast? Well, it just 

 won't be the same. 



Wilms believes the most devastating 

 greenhouse effect in North Carolina 

 will be the accompanying rise in sea 

 level. (See stories, pages 4 and 5. 



Warmer temperatures will cause 

 polar ice caps to melt and will also 

 warm the oceans, causing them to 

 expand. 



Unfortunately, experts say there is 

 little we can do to hold back the im- 

 pending greenhouse effect. Even if we 

 stopped burning fossil fuels now, 

 Wilms says, it wouldn't reverse the 

 warming trend. 



But that's no reason for complacen- 

 cy, he says. He believes we need to 

 plan now for the possible effects of 

 global warming. He advises reducing 

 the burning of fossil fuels, replanting of 

 forests and shifting agriculture to more 

 heat-tolerant plant species. 



"For the first time, we're seeing a 

 phenomenon attributable to man's ac- 

 tivities. . .and it may be irreversible," 

 says Wilms. 



The gases that we've 

 dumped into the at- 

 mosphere are creating a 

 blanket around the 

 Earth. The blanket traps 

 more heat in and allows 

 less heat to escape. 



SUNLIGHT 



v a t m;q sPHcaie bl a n k et 



