Global Warming has been a hot issue lately. Our Earth’s surface and ocean temperatures are still on the rise and things are only getting worse. There have been more natural disasters in the past five years than ever recorded before. Scientists see this as a result of global warming. According to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction 254 million people were affected in 2004 by natural disasters. That was three times the amount of people that were affected in 1990. The current level of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere is 380 parts per million. To put this into perspective this is the highest our carbon dioxide level has been in 650,000 years. In correlation with the carbon dioxide level on the rise is also our Earth’s temperature. In fact the ten hottest recorded years have occurred after 1990 and are continuing to follow the trend. Temperatures are rising, glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, land is disappearing and the carbon dioxide level of the Earth is rising. Is this a coincidence? If we don’t act now it could be too late sooner than we think.

The bigger picture of this problem could lead to tons of destruction. Thousands of miles of land are going to start to disappear as the sea levels continue to rise. There will be millions of people displaced from their home and forced to more inland. The Earth will soon be too small to support all of its inhabitants. We are destroying our resources and need to take action quickly before it is too late. It is affecting every human. However, we are the ones causing the problem and the only ones that can respond to it and change.

Despite all the harm that we have already done to our Earth there are a lot of feasible solutions. There are a lot of individual changes that one can make that can make a huge impact. The type of car you choose to drive can make a huge difference. Researching what vehicle gets the most miles per gallon in its class can cut your carbon dioxide emissions by pounds. Every gallon of gas that you use emits twenty five pounds of thickening gases into the atmosphere. There are also many ways in which you can help and save money around the house. The types of light bulbs you use make a huge impact on the carbon dioxide problem today. It is very important to switch to energy saving light bulbs in your house. If everyone switched to these light bulbs it would be equivalent to taking 6.3 million cars off the road. If you own land you can always plant a new tree to aid the cause. All of these solutions are feasible and also cut costs for the participator. If you cut down on gas and electric use you could save hundreds of dollars a month.

The problems that global warming is causing are very apparent. No one person can solve this crisis because everyone is causing it and affecte by it. This issue will take the dedication and participation of many if not all. It’s not too late but someday it will be. If everyone acts now a significant difference is believed to be apparent in the next ten years. The only question is whether or not we want to see a positive difference or a negative one.