Most theories concerning global warming all point to one simple truth—planet earth and its inhabitants are doomed. That is a scary thought all in itself, but with global warming being one of the biggest environmental issues, what is even more puzzling and rather troubling is the lack of concern that many of us seem to demonstrate. Unfortunately, many of us might not even be too familiar with what global warming even is! Global warming, by definition, is the unusual rapid increase of Earth’s average surface temperature due to greenhouse gases released as people burn fossil fuels. Since the start of industrialization back in the 1700s, we have begun using up more fossil fuels from coal, oil, and gas to run our cars, trucks, and factories. Even though these gases are essential for the presence of human life on earth, the over-emittance of these gases is causing global warming. However, throughout Earth’s long history, Earth has warmed and cooled numerous times. The difference now is that the rate of temperature increase has nearly doubled just in the last fifty years. NASA has also recently confirmed that temperatures are certain to go up further.

Global warming has affected many different parts of the world around us and these consequences are expected to be long lasting and, in many cases, devastating for planet Earth. One of the well-known effects of global warming is the ice melting in both polar ice caps and mountain glaciers. Some other issues are that lakes around the world are warming up rapidly, and that up to one-half of Earth’s plants and one-third of Earth’s animals are disappearing from their current range. Let’s not forget about social effects that global warming is bringing, such as severe crop failures and livestock shortages worldwide. In 2014, the World Meteorological Organization reported that some cities in the United States had experienced the warmest summers. The same report also stated that deaths from heat increased by more than 2,000 percent over the previous decade. Many of these effects come from exhaustive scientific research, and close observations, making all of these reports that much more credible. Have we, as a society, become so disconnected with our own environment that we resist to become aware of how serious of an issue global warming truly is? I strongly believe that it is time to educate ourselves on what this means for us as a society.

Major reports released by scientists have linked the issue of global warming to human activity. We can start right at home by replacing our light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, purchasing energy-efficient appliances, which have an energy star label on them, using less heat and air conditioning, and turning off the lights if no one is in the room. One of the main ways you can help end global warming is to reduce, reuse, and recycle! When you buy products with minimal packaging, you are helping to reduce waste. We must also use reusable products instead of disposables. Make sure to recycle every newspaper, plastics, paper, glass and aluminum cans that you can. With cars being one of the major contributions to the pollution on Earth it is important that we start to drive less and drive smart. Consider your options such as walking, biking, using community transit system, and carpooling as a means of transportation. Furthermore, when you are driving, make sure your tires are properly inflated in order to improve your gas mileage. With every gallon of gas that you save you are helping your budget and keeping 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Never feel afraid to encourage those around you to help conserve our planet Earth. We can be one step closer to keeping Planet Earth around a little longer if every single one of us contributes in conserving planet Earth. Below you will find some helpful websites that will better inform you on Global Warming, and a few tips on how you can contribute to help end Global Warming.

http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm

https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-global-warming

http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-global-warming-facts.php

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming_2.html