NATURE Special Feature 1 – The Abyss of Global Warming Unpredictable dramatic changes –– What is now happening to the earth We have come to frequently experience unprecedented scales of meteorological disasters such as typhoons, torrential rains, and heat waves. Climate variability, which had seemed to be a nonurgent issue, is now growing into an actual threat. Various data are pointing to global warming. How does the air temperature rise, and what is the current state of the earth? What should we be prepared for in facing this phenomenon?