Not only was 2005 the hottest year on record (see "It's Gettin' Hot in Here," below), but new data shows that greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. rose by two percent in 2004. That report comes from the Energy Department, which released figures showing emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat in the atmosphere rose from 6.98 million metric tons to 7.12 million metric tons.

The vast majority of those emissions come from burning fossil fuels.

In other cheery global warming news, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) predicts that the top ten feet of permafrost - continually frozen ground - in the Arctic will completely melt by the year 2100. This will have massive impacts, including causing damage to roads and other infrastructure, changing ecosystems, and releasing even more CO2 (stored in the frozen soil) into the air.

Um... Happy Holidays!

For ways you can help stop global warming, check out stopglobalwarming.org or Carbonfund.

Photo credit: University of Montana