The climate has been changing for thousands of years, however in recent years it has gotten more extreme. This is due to numerous factors mainly caused by people. The burning of fossil fuels which produce carbon dioxide, forest fires and the destruction of forests for agricultural land and housing all have taken a huge toll on the environment allowing for increasing greenhouse gases to trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere. This is a serious problem that is going to affect everybody worldwide if it doesn’t get rectified soon. As the climate gets warmer the glaciers in the Arctic are melting which causes darker, exposed surfaces that absorb and release heat, raising temperatures.
Glacier melts causes the sea level to rise, increasing coastal erosion and elevates storm surge as warming air and ocean temperatures create more frequent and intense coastal storms like hurricanes, typhoons, warmer winters and extreme weather conditions. As an individual I try to keep my carbon footprint as small as possible. I try to walk as much as possible and avoid driving. I also have my own cows, chickens and rabbits for food and I live off the land as much as possible. The world needs to come together and take steps to stop climate change mainly by cutting CO2 emissions. This can be achieved by getting every country to take part in this initiative and protecting more forests as well as finding more green fuel sources. America is one of the leading countries of CO2 emissions and needs to stop putting profit before the environment and give corporations stricter guidelines. Americans in general need to start finding alternatives for fossil fuels and seeking energy from other carbon producing materials extracted from the earth.
