Issues of Global Climate Change.- Global Change: Problems and Uncertainties.- Food Security in an Uncertain Climate.- Emission of Greenhouse Gases.- Measuring Fluxes of Greenhouse Gases Between Rice Fields and the Atmosphere.- Dynamics of Methane in Rice Fields: Emissions to the Atmosphere in Japan and Thailand.- Methane Emissions from Texas Rice Fields: a Five-Year Study.- Role of Methane and Nitrous Oxide in Climate Change.- Methane Emissions from Rice Fields in China.- Soil Characteristics Affecting Methane Production and Emission in Flooded Rice.- Comparison of Micrometeorological and Chamber Measurements of Methane Emissions from Rice Fields.- World Inventory of Soil Emission Potentials: Development of a Global Soil Data Base of Process-Controlling Factors.- Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Flooded Rice.- Global Climate Change: Role of Rice in Methane Emissions and Prospects for Mitigation.- Mitigation Options for Methane Emissions from Rice Fields.- Ultraviolet-B Radiation.- Measurement and Modeling of Ultraviolet-B Irradiance.- Effects of Ultraviolet-B Irradiation on Spore Viability, Sporulation, and Mutation of the Rice-Blast Fungus.- Effects of Ultraviolet-B Radiation on Growth of Rice Plants in the Field.- Genetic Study of Resistance to Inhibitory Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation in Rice.- Effect of Enhanced Ultraviolet-B Radiation on Growth and Production of Rice Under Greenhouse and Field Conditions.- Estimation of Biologically Effective Ultraviolet-B Radiation in the Tropics Using Action Spectra of Higher Plants.- Carbon Dioxide and Temperature.- Global Carbon Cycle.- Simulated Impacts of Global Climate Change on Crops.- Open-Top Chambers for Field Studies of Rice Response to Carbon Dioxide and Temperature: System Design.- Intraspecific Variation in Growth andPhotosynthetic Responses of Rice with Increased Carbon Dioxide.- Physiological Response of Rice to Carbon Dioxide, Temperature, and Nutrients.- Carbon Dioxide and Temperature Effects on Rice.- Interactive Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Temperature on Rice Growth and Development.- Simulation Modeling.- Effect of Anticipated Change in Global Environment on Rice Yields in Japan.- Assessing Impacts of Climate Change on Rice Production: Strategies for Adaptation in Southern China.- Modeling the Impact of Climate Change on Rice Production in Asia.- Global Warming and Rice Arthropod Communities.- References.

Among basic human needs, food is foremost. Finding sufficient, affordable food is still the major concern of one in every five persons on earth. Rice is the basic staple for more than half of the world - and will continue to be well into the future. For this reason, the Interna tional Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has set the goal of improving the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers and consumers, particularly those with low incomes. As we look toward the 21st century, several important issues cloud food security. World population is growing by almost 100 million people per year, and it is not likely to plateau before the end of the next century. This means that food demand will at least double, and may quadruple. The technologies of the Green Revolution have provided an unprecedented leap in annual rice production, enough to feed 600 million more people, but have had unforeseen social and environmental costs. Loss of genetic diversity and misuse of pesti cides endanger the sustainability of the Green Revolution. Soil ero sion, rural to urban popUlation migration, and increased competition for land and water between urban and agricultural sectors further threaten the sustainability of rice production. Finally, human activi ties may be changing the global climate. Any change in global climate is a potential challenge to the food security offuture generations. The world cannot afford to be unprepared.