It’s not up for debate. It’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s not a political stance. It’s not something we can stop worrying about.

Let me make myself clear, GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, let me jog your memory: global warming. Al Gore s**t. The D ay After Tomorrow.

If you have not taken the time to educate yourself on the subject NOW is the time to do so. I say this, not only because climate change is the number one issue we (we meaning every single human on this planet) face right now, but also because there are political leaders in office, or approaching office, that won’t be educating you on the subject. Why, you ask? Because not only is it a non-issue to them, they simply don’t believe it exists at all.

Funny thing about science though, the lack of belief in it does absolutely nothing to change its existence.

I hope I have gathered your attention. I hope you are still reading. What I’m about to say next is important.

Human beings, yes, you and I, are responsible for global climate change. Again, this point is non-negotiable, it’s not just a theory and it is not something we can continue to ignore.

If you can understand that humans are responsible for pollution (because cars don’t drive themselves, manufacturing plants didn’t just appear out of nowhere and deforestation certainly doesn’t happen on its own), you can understand that humans are responsible for climate change. We pollute our environment, our natural habitat, by the burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels like coal, oil and other natural gases that we rely so heavily on in our day to day life. When this burning occurs, high levels of carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, are emitted into Earth’s atmosphere. Yes, the greenhouse effect sustains life for us on Earth because these gases trap and hold onto heat, allowing our planet to stay at a warm, livable climate. Without it, temperatures would constantly be below freezing. However, the excess of greenhouse gases due to carbon emissions is causing an extreme warming effect, which in turn is disrupting normal climate worldwide.

Now that I’ve bored you with the science of how humans are very responsible for warming of Earth, a detail that 97 percent of scientists agree on, I’ll give you a quick rundown of what will happen (and already is happening) if we, as a global society, don’t begin taking the steps to stop the warming of our planet. Still reading? This is the part of the article that should matter the most to you. These things, at some point, will directly affect you, your friends, your family.

Polar ice caps will continue melting, causing ocean levels to rise significantly. Coastal cities will not only keep flooding, they'll be entirely under water. Homes, businesses, vehicles, people are all at risk of going under, literally, right now.

Wild forest fires will increase in size, length of time and severity. With warmer temperatures comes dryer inlands, and dryer inlands are breeding grounds for forest fires. This puts wildlife, crops, houses, people in serious danger.

A strain on water supplies will begin to occur. Heat evaporates water, this is something we learned way back in elementary science. Well, the same applies for the fresh water sources we rely on for drinking. As the global temperature increases, water will begin evaporating at a greater rate, and its quantities will decrease. This puts everything on this planet at risk.

A strain on food will begin to occur. Crops will be killed in floods, they'll dry out and in the too-warm Earth. Ultimately, certain markets will cease to exist altogether, as the climate will no longer allow for a sustainable environment for them to grow. What would we do without food?

If nothing else, global climate change will affect all of us in one distinct way: financially. The money that our government will have to continue funneling into damages from weather-related disasters comes from our hard earned tax dollars. When food and water become scarce and limited, prices will rise.

I just wrote you an entire article (with significant help from this site that can give you loads of more information) about why we, as humans, need to start taking huge steps towards stopping and ultimately reversing the damages of, climate change. Guess what I didn't tell you, though? How to do it. Here is the big issue at hand: we so desperately need political leaders and elected officials that will create and enforce environmental regulations. I’m not a scientist. It’s not my area of expertise to do field research and experiments that will give any aid on how we stop sliding down this slippery slope.

I'm not a policy maker, I can't make laws that will keep us from polluting our atmosphere, I can't put a tax on carbon emissions.

But I am a journalist and it is my job to inform. So if you're still reading, if you've made it this far, you no longer have the choice to remain ignorant to what is happening in the world we were gifted to live in. Can you be confused, have questions? Absolutely. In fact, I urge you, now more than ever, to do research on the subject, to pose important questions to your local governments, to make aware this potentially cataclysmic issue to as many people as you can.

There are solutions. There are steps to take. We can begin to change and reverse the damage we've done. But we have to start acting now.

Because global climate change is real, whether you want to believe it or not.