There is a glimmer of hope that the living systems on Earth may be able to mitigate the effects of a changing climate. In this public lecture, Dr. Peter Cox, science director for climate change at the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research, addresses this subject. Cox discusses the complex interactions between the physical and biological elements of the Earth system, and how a brand new type of computer models called "Earth System Models" are being used to more accurately predict future climate change by taking into account these dynamic interactions.