This week for our Environmental Science class, we were asked to investigate climate change and the effects that it has on the world around us, and what role we play in the process of global warming.

 According to information found on www.epa.gov/climatechange.com, the climate is changing all around us. Temperatures are rising, ice burgs are melting, oceans are rising, snow is melting sooner, flowers and plants are blooming earlier and birds aren’t flying as far south for the winter.

Humans play a role in climate change by emitting excessive CO2 via burning coal and fossil fuels to generate electricity and fuel our cars.

Global warming can lead to the spread of diseases, more wild fires and food and water shortage. Many plants and animals could also become extinct.

According to the article titled “Global Warming: Not a Crisis,” found on the Heartland Institute website, most scientists believe the Earth experienced a small rise in temperatures during the second half of the twentieth century, but they are unsure how large of a role human activities may have played. Scientists concede that global warming is a problem, but at the same time, they don’t believe that it is a crisis, but rather that it is a natural occurrence, and they remain unsure about the effect of human activity. For this reason, skepticism seems to center around the magnitude of human impact on global warming. I believe this skepticism still exists because of conflicting information presented in various environmental reports and studies. One analyst publishes a report that says humans have a huge impact, and the next analyst’s report says humans do not have a huge impact on the climate change.

I know that we have made progress in our air quality since the 1980’s, information from air quality monitoring stations proves this. It has taken 30 years to achieve the air quality of today. This improvement has largely been in part to stricter air quality regulations. It is my opinion that we are at a point in time where great strides are being made to improve the quality of our air for future generations. To say that we will continue on our current path and do nothing, is an unfair statement. In my opinion, continuing on our current path means continuing to advance and find alternate sources of energy so that we can stretch our natural resources to the limit. To me, continuing on our current path means that, with current air quality policies that are in place, we will achieve a 20% reduction in air pollution (from 1980’s levels) by the year 2020. That is only 8 years away. In 50 years, I envision pristine air quality conditions. Maybe I am a bit of an optimist, but I know that the knowledge of our impact on the environment is spreading and the upcoming generations are learning about the importance of conserving our natural resources. Through education, we are instilling a sense of responsibility in those generations, and I believe that it is possible to set a higher standard for air quality in the years to come.