Climate change. Global warming. The dangerous increase in Earth's temperature.
These are all terms that we have heard for years. We have heard about pollution, we have read about carbon dioxide emissions, and we have been warned about the melting icecaps time and time again.
There has been thousands of scientists worldwide, hours of research, and innumerable studies to prove climate change is very real and is happening now.
However, despite all of the scientific information backing climate change, people still ignore the cautions from experts and deepen their ecological footprint more. Plastics continue to fill our landfills, automobiles burn through oil, and run off from factories taint our water sources.
I'll be the first to tell you----I am no expert on climate change. I'm not a scientist and I don't have a degree in environmental biology. However, I do have an understanding of what's heading our way if we, as a population, do not take the steps needed to avoid killing our planet.
In the last one hundred years on Earth, the actions of mankind, through the pollution brought on by industry and agriculture, have led to the thinning of arctic sea ice, the rising of sea levels, and the increase of temperature.
The fourteen warmest years ever recorded have occurred in the last twenty years. The warmer weather has allowed disease carrying mosquitoes to migrate to different parts of the world and infect new populations.
The scary thing is, it's only going to get worse.
Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when humans burn fossil fuels, such as coal for electricity or oil for automobiles. The gas then gets trapped here by the ozone layer and consequentially, warms Earth.
While a couple of degrees doesn't seem like much, Earth is very sensitive to temperature change. A couple of degrees below the normal would result in an ice age; a couple of degrees above the normal would make it too hot for many animals to survive.
The United States, one of the biggest culprits behind climate change, emits approximately one quarter of all the carbon emissions in the world. This is especially staggering as the United States only makes up about five percent of the world's population.
What do we do, as a country and as individuals, in order to slow down the devastating effects of climate change? Many of us recycle cans and plastic bottles. That's a great start---but it is not enough. In order to stop suffocating our planet, we have to make more changes.
As a society, we need our government officials to implement and enforce green policies and green taxes. When a company is producing their goods, they need to be held accountable for their emissions into the atmosphere.
Their waste management system also needs to be monitored to ensure none of the waste affects the land or water sources. Companies need to work out a "cradle to cradle" lifespan for their products, instead of a "cradle to grave" lifespan. What is meant by this is----manufacturing a product that is able to be reused or recycled into a new version of that product. If your business builds bicycles, the bikes should be able to be brought back after they have been used and recycled, instead of just tossed out.
When business firms do choose to do something environmentally friendly, such as using a clean energy source, they should be rewarded with subsidies to keep them on track. We should support the businesses that are trying to support our planet.
As individuals, we should strive to be as "green" as possible in our daily lives. Keep your lights, heat, and air conditioning turned down whenever possible. Drive sensible cars. We don't all need giant diesel trucks!
Choose light bulbs that are energy efficient, such as fluorescent. Invest in energy star appliances----they will even cut your bill down! If you've got a green thumb, start a garden. Even if you can't grow food, flowers and other plants will absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
If you're serious about making a "green" change, set up solar panels at your house. They can be used to warm your shower water instead of your water heater and they will even save you money.
Overall, our planet is in serious trouble. Our oceans are rising, our glaciers are melting, and our animals are dying out. We need to invest now into renewable energy sources for our future. We cannot keep burning fossil fuels----it's literally like burning both ends of the candle. While we can't stop climate change at this point, we can definitely slow it down and give our future generations the best fighting chance.
