Quietly, two weeks ago, the Bush administration sent a report to the United Nations detailing some of the effects that it believes global climate change will have on the American environment.

In this report, the administration for the first time mostly blames human activities for recent global warming. It says the main culprit is the burning of fossil fuels which releases greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the air. The report doesn't go so far as to recommend rapid reductions in these gases, but rather emphasizes adapting to climate changes. In fact, the report concludes that no matter what's done to reduce future emissions, nothing can be done about the consequences of what's already been put into the air over the last century.

This new report is a big shift in the climate change policies of the Bush administration, which up till now has simply emphasized the need for more research in order to make any definitive statements about global warming.