Problem:  The planet is warming, in large part due to human activities that release massive amounts of greenhouse gases.

Why We Should Care:  As the planet warms, we are literally changing the face of the planet.  Polar ice caps and glaciers worldwide are shrinking, the weather is becoming more intense, sea levels are rising, and warm-weather diseases are spreading to new territory.  If nothing else, the major changes we are causing in our huge and resilient environment should inform us that we are taking too much from the planet and not giving enough care.

What We Can Do:  Use less fossil fuels.  Live less wastefully.  Make informed and conscious decisions about... well, almost anything, because almost anything we do in our modern culture can be related to climate change to at least some degree.  More Solutions.

In Depth:  It's not just for hippie-liberal-tree huggers anymore.  Climate change (often referred to as Global Warming) is real, and if you disagree, you're disagreeing with virtually the entire global scientific community.  In a major 2007 report by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), an organization of 2,500 scientists in 130 countries that is overseen by the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization, humans were all but 100% guilty of causing climate change.  But don't take our word for it - let the facts speak for themselves:

- The 1980s and '90s were the hottest decades in 400 years and possibly in several millennia [2].

- The average global temperature has risen 1.4 degrees (F) since 1880, with much of the change happening in recent decades [2].  One point four degrees may not sound like much, but given the size of the system we're affecting (the entire planet), it is huge.  And as the rest of the planet jumps on the industrialization bandwagon, average temperatures will climb even faster - up to 11.5 degrees (F) higher in the next 90 years if we don't curb emissions now [4].

- Eleven of the 12 hottest years on record are within the past 12 years [2].

- Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global rate [2].

- Artic ice is disappearing at the rate of 9% per decade [1], and the entire region may be completely ice-free in the summers by 2040 or earlier [2].  Indigenous cultures and polar bears are already experiencing the harmful effects of climate change; ask an Eskimo whether he or she thinks the planet is warming.

- Since 1950, snow accumulations in the western USA have decreased by 60% [1].

- Glaciers around the world are shrinking in size or disappearing altogether.  There are only 27 glaciers left in Montana's Glacier National Park, down from 150 glaciers in 1910 [2].

- Skeptics often point to evidence that natural orbital cycles cause the Earth to become warmer or cooler, something that happens every hundred thousand years or so.  However, such changes occur over the span of several centuries; the current warming trend has happened relatively quickly, only over the past hundred years or so [3].  This coincides all too well with the rise of industrialization and other greenhouse gas-causing human activities.

- If none of the scientific facts speak to you, maybe you'd like to know that the US Department of Defense has been researching the possible implications of global warming on national security [1].  If the DOD is interested, you know something is up.

The facts speak for themselves.  To deny the reality of global climate change and our role in bringing it about is to stick your head in the sand.  How have humans caused this monumental change?  In a nutshell:  Pollution from industry, transportation, and other sources along with human activities like deforestation have increased levels of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane, and water vapor in the atmosphere.  These greenhouse gasses trap heat from the sun, increasing temperatures on the Earth's surface.  Even if we were to cut greenhouse gas emissions altogether at this moment, the Earth would still heat up for centuries, because the gasses already in the atmosphere will persist for years [3].  Climate change isn't just an abstract idea - it is already affecting us:

- 2002 was the worst year on record for wildfires in Colorado, Arizona, and Oregon, a result of hot, dry conditions [1].

- That same year was the year of terrible drought-induced dust storms in Colorado, Montana, and Kansas [1].

- 2003 marked a year of extreme heat waves which killed 20,000 people in Europe and 1,500 people in India [1].

- Tropical storms have increased in destructive potential over the last 35 years, paralleling the rise in ocean temperatures [1].

If you think those facts are worrisome, wait until you hear the climate change forecast from the IPCC:

- Early snowmelt, disappearing glaciers, and severe drought will cause severe water shortages in the American West and other places around the world [1].

- Over a million species face extinction from loss of habitat, changing ecosystems, and more acidic oceans [3].

- Many areas of the world will face increased frequency of disease, especially mosquito-borne diseases [1].

- The ocean's circulation system may become permanently altered by warming, conversely causing a mini ice age in Europe [3].

- The global average temperature could climb by as much as 11.5 degrees (F) by the end of the century [4].

- Sea levels are projected to rise by between 7 and 23 inches by the end of the century [4].  If recent melting in Greenland and Antarctica continues at current rates, sea levels could rise by an additional 4 to 8 inches.

- It is greatly feared that warming will progress far enough to trigger positive feedback cycles.  For example, as highly reflective Artic ice melts, it exposes more dark, heat-absorbing water to the sun's rays, thereby increasing Artic temperatures even faster, thereby increasing the rate of ice melt - it is a vicious cycle that is impossible to stop once it begins.  Some scientists believe that some positive feedback cycles have already begun.  Other positive feedback cycles include the release of more greenhouse gasses through the melting of permafrost, sea ice, and increased evaporation of water, which increases the rate of heating, which increases the rate of gas release, and so on.

What are we to do about this?  Well, as with any huge, complex problem there are no easy answers.  The root of the climate change problem is nothing less than the very lifestyle we participate in, and thus the root of the climate change solution is nothing less than a major change in lifestyle.  Almost everything we do day to day affects climate change, be it through direct (driving, electricity use) or indirect (purchase of goods shipped from far away, consumption of food grown in an environmentally unsound manner) greenhouse gas contributions.  Conscious decision-making in every sector of life is needed to truly combat climate change.  Conserve energy whenever possible.  Use less.  Reuse more.  Support local business and food.  The list goes on; check out our Solutions section for in-depth ways to change your lifestyle for the better!

[1] http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp
[2] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html
[3] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming_2.html
[4] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070202-global-warming_2.html