Many people reject the science behind climate change, thinking it’s all a hoax. Climate change is real. Carbon Dioxide is released through natural activities such as respiration and volcanic eruptions, but it can also be released through the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and more. Methane is released through the transportation of coal,  natural products, and the decomposing of organic material in land fills. Nitrous oxide is released through industrial processes and treatment of water waste. These are the three main green house gases that have been heating up our atmosphere. The most prominent is carbon dioxide.

This is a serious issue because the green house gases trap heat, which in turn is heating up our earth. That heat is melting icebergs, ice sheets, snow, which is all adding water to our oceans. Our oceans are rising and absorbing some of the carbon dioxide which is making the ocean more acidic. The rising of the oceans could be putting peoples’ lives at risk by destroying their homes, so this could also be considered a life issue as well as a societal issue. In my opinion, bigger industrial companies that are belching out methane and nitrous oxide are more at fault than the people, but that does not mean we are not a part of these processes. Humans have been evolving for ages and we will always be learning more and inventing more things that make life easier, but along with that change we must be aware of how we may be affecting our planet.

In my next column, I’ll offer some ways to help us confront climate change.

Fore more information on this topic visit these websites: climate.nasa.gov  and www.epa.gov