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There is a scientific consensus that emissions of greenhouse gases arising from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and agriculture have probably contributed to and will continue to cause global climate change. Current climate models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an international group of more than 2,000 scientists, project that the Earth will warm by two to six degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100. For New England in general and the White Mountains specifically, global climate change of this speed and magnitude could mean significant and, in some cases, significantly negative, impacts to its natural resources, health, and way of life. In addition to changes in forest and ecosystem types and productivity, there exists a significant risk of disruption of the fall foliage season, declines in maple syrup production, a shortened ski season, a dramatic decrease in trout habitat, and changes in the productivity of the timber industry.