Climate is a changing phenomenon, the first signs of alteration appearing in its day-to-day behavior—i.e., the weather. One readily observable recent climatic change is the increase in the number and ferocity of giant weather events like hurricanes. This program explains the origin of tropical storms, tropical rainforests, and polar deserts. It shows the route and the effect of the Gulf Stream and explains its role in the Little Ice Age of the 16th century; theorizes about the events that caused the Sahara to become desert; and examines the link between these events, changes in the sun’s activity, and cycles involving dust storms and volcanic eruption. (26 minutes)