You know that the world is experiencing climate change when the hottest recorded temperature for a certain month is whatever month you are in. This has been the case in recent years, and yet people still ignore the issues that are right in front of us. In fact, this has been the 11th month in a row that global heat records have been totally and completely broken. August was just under two degrees higher than average, causing it to tie with July as the warmest month ever since record keeping began in 1880.

Many people are aware that this is occurring, yet no one makes any changes. If this continues, 2016 will be the third year in a row to be the hottest year ever recorded. Climate change is not only something that will affect us in the future, as it is affecting us right now. With each day that passes, the condition worsens and the population of the Earth digs itself deeper and deeper into a hole.

Some people may not realize, but events that are occurring right now are a result of climate change. For example, the type of flooding that occurred in Louisiana is “at least 40 percent more likely to happen” due to climate change. There will be more droughts and heat waves, more rain, more flooding, an ice-free arctic, and much more intense hurricanes. None of these problems are going away anytime soon, and they will only continue to get worse.

With all of these natural disasters occurring, hopefully, people will begin to recognize the severity of the issue. This is something that the world can correct and lessen the damage of if enough effort is put in. The average temperatures should not be rising the way they are, and damage is certainly being done by these changes in climate. Sea levels will rise, hurricanes will occur more frequently, species will become extinct, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s time to recognize that climate change is real, and it's here and has been here for a while now.