• Scientific studies show that human health, ecological systems and socioeconomic sectors (e.g., hydrology and water resources, food and fiber production, coastal systems and human settlements), all of which are vital to sustainable development, are sensitive to changes in climate - including both the magnitude and rate of climate change - as well as to changes in climate variability.

• Basic ecological knowledge suggests that the "ecosystem movement" paradigm is most unlikely to occur in reality because of different climatic tolerance of the species involved, including within-species genetic variability, different longevities, different migration abilities, and the effects of invading species.

• A possible connection between global warming and extreme weather is of more than academic interest. The economic, human, and ecological costs of even a small long-term increase in extremes would be substantial.