An article from The New York Times discussed climate change and how it can affect the future of the world by the year 2040. While this discovery is disturbing to see, we have to accept that the things that we do affect the outcome for the future.

As reported in the article, a group of scientists brought together by the United Nations figured that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, the atmosphere will warm up by as much as 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) above preindustrial levels by 2040, which will flood coastlines and intensify droughts and poverty. This will cause a decline in the world's global population.

The greatest and most impactful way that we can avoid this outcome is to change the world economy to lower greenhouse gas emissions and to make products and utilities more affordable for the lower class. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that heavy taxes or prices on carbon dioxide emissions maybe even as high as $27,000 per ton by 2100 would be required. The report also found that, by 2050, the use of coal as an electricity source would have to drop from nearly 40 percent today to between 1 and 7 percent.

A Washington Post article states almost the same thing as the Times, but it focuses on the temperature of the Earth. Emissions are continuing to cause the temperature to rise drastically, and we have 12 years to fix it or start to before we doom the future of Earth. BBC News talks about how "keeping to the preferred target of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels will mean 'rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.'" If the target reaches below a constant 1.5 degrees Celsius, we should be fine, and we have to everything to prevent from going above it.

While looking at the findings of the UN, I feel that we should always be aware of the impact that we have on the Earth. Even though 12 years or the year 2040 seem like far away, they actually aren't. I want to live past I'm 40, so we need to be able to work together economically and support the ecosystem that we live in. Obviously with this in mind, we have time to change around our way of doing things, and it's not too late to start making a change in the way we do things in society.

Regarding the findings of the UN and my ecological footprint, I do feel the need to change things such as home appliances and food consumption. Mainly environmental issues at home though. I don't want to be the reason why the Earth turns to crap. I want to do everything that I can to ensure the future of planet Earth for many years to come.

I feel like the government is honestly focusing on bigger things than climate change and are pushing or sweeping the topic under the rug until it actually becomes a big problem, That's why you don't really hear people talk about it a lot. The government needs to create regulations and such to prevent the current condition of the Earth from becoming worse. Also, a fix in the economy is needed for lower-class people to afford certain organic foods and produce.

Overall, global warming is a problem that some people are unable to see the problem in and believe is a myth when it isn't. Facts and pieces of scientific data prove this fact. It is up to society to decide whether or not this is the condition we want to put the Earth in. We need to lower our footprint and need the government to step in with regulations and such.