Global warming:?Yes, It Is Very Real

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Byline: Bob Doppelt

Global warming is the defining issue of our times. The Pacific Northwest is already experiencing the effects of rising temperatures. Left unchecked, global warming will undermine economic, social and environmental prosperity and security here and abroad.

This is the first in an occasional series of columns about global warming. Because global warming is an event without precedent in human experience, the causes, consequences and solutions can be difficult to grasp. I'll try to explain them and discuss their local implications.

This will not be a science column. However, a buddy I play basketball with - Charlie Warren, the former University of Oregon All-American - is a self-described climate …