Throughout the course of history there have been many defining events which shaped our country into what it is today, and without them it would not be the same. What differentiates a defining event from an ordinary one, is overcoming a problem that seemed like it could never be solved, and we now have a chance to create our own defining moment. One of the greatest problems facing our generation is Global Warming, and although some may argue that it is not "directly" a problem for our generation, in a way it is. Global Warming is at a "critical period" in which we have a chance to take action before the problem becomes so severe that we are unable to reverse the damage we have done, and thus must inevitably suffer the consequences. Most people would look at Global Warming and ask "Why aren't we taking action already?" but that question is almost redundant, because in order to have any lasting effect each and every person must participate in some way. So rather than asking the question of why no action is being done, we should instead figure out our own ways to take part in the effort. We as Americans have become so accustomed to having certain people solve certain problems, so when we see an environmental problem occurring, we assume that it will be solved by an environmental scientist, whose job it is to do so, but what about a problem which no-one person is equipped to deal with? Our lifestyles have impacted the world around us for many years, and finally it is time for the world around us to impact our lifestyles. Without a radical change to our lifestyle standards, human emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases will inevitably lead to the destruction of much of the world through Global Warming.

In recent news, as well as throughout the past few years, Global Warming has been a widely controversial hot topic of debate. Although the general populace has known about the existence of Global Warming and climate change for almost a century, there has not been much discussion about the topic until recent years when it was deemed an almost immediate threat to the future of the Earth. "An Introduction to Climate Change" published by the NRDC does a god job of explaining Global Warming fairly easily; as CO2, methane, and other pollutants are released into the air they get trapped in our atmosphere. These trapped gasses block the suns UV radiation and heat as they reflect off the surface of the Earth, and without allowing these rays to escape back into space the heat produced from these rays also stays trapped in Earth's atmosphere, gradually raising the temperature. As the Earth continually warms from this phenomenon, many of the natural cycles we experience on Earth change as well, ultimately altering the climate itself. People may not see themselves as a major factor in causing these events, but in reality our everyday actions over the course of our past have added up to the major problem we now face. Every time we drive our cars, power our homes, make a new product, we are impacting our environment in irreversible ways. People like to believe that climate change can be attributed to natural events, and that "It's just the cycle of the Earth," but no longer can we blame the Earth for a problem we ourselves caused. Our own impact is now blatantly obvious, as we can see these extreme environmental changes occurring at an alarming rate first hand, yet people are still failing to take any serious action. 

With the vast amount of information and data taken about the Earth, people everywhere have the means to observe these changes in our environment for themselves, yet our actions do not change. People all across the U.S continue to debate the validity of our impact on Global Warming, for no reasons other than ignorance, convenience and profit. Our society has a strong reliance on things such as oil, methane, and coal which allow us to power the things around us that we have come so accustomed to, and big companies who provide us with these resources have a strong reason to argue against the Global Warming claims, with articles such as The Economist's "Is It Global Warming or Just the Weather". Articles like these funded by big businesses are created to deter belief in Global Warming in order to boost their company's own sales, at the cost of the environmental future. The article is able to highlight people's fears of unknown change, and simply attribute everything that is happening around us to things that we are used to, and that we understand. By introducing the idea that Global Warming was not our problem, and that it was not our fault, people began to question what was true and what was false. Although there is a great deal of evidence that proves our involvement, people refuse to accept that they are a contributor to the problem, rather they want to distance themselves from the events entirely. By putting themselves outside of the problem people feel that it is not their responsibility, rather that it is someone else's who has the time, money, power, etc. to do so, but if every person does this who is left? If we hope to one day have our children experience the world like we have, society is going to have to drastically change the way we live, or we will ultimately lead to the destruction of the world as we know it now.

People all across the world experience these changes to our climate in a variety of ways, that are not always entirely obvious to the average person. It can be seen in the shorter winters, the hotter summers, the rising tides; the evidence of Global Warming is present all around us, we simply need to take the time to observe it for ourselves. There are many people who witness these changes, yet choose to take no action because they seem so small. While some people may not see these slight changes in the climate as an immediate threat to humans, scientists' research says otherwise. These small increases in temperature across the world over the course of many years have taken a serious toll on the remaining ice caps which play a vital role in regulating the climate across the world. In the article," NASA's 'conclusive Proof' HUMANS Cause Global Warming" by Jon Austin, one can see all of the facts that are being recorded on the topic of environmental change. Over the past 10 years, there has been a greater decrease in the size of the ice caps than the amount it decreased over the span of 100 years previous. Scientists aren't trying to fool people with this information, rather they are trying to warn people of the imminent dangers that we could all be facing, as they themselves will also have to face them. The more people that trust in science to lead us in the right direction, the quicker we can start making actual progress towards a solution. It is scientist's profession to study the world around us and try to better understand our role in it, just like it is a doctor's profession to make someone better, if 95% of doctors told you that you were sick, would you still argue with them? 

No matter the topic, there will always be someone fighting for the opposition, and in the case of Global Warming and climate change, it is the big fossil fuel companies that pose as the enemy. Although there is a general agreement about the topic itself, some fossil fuel companies are still trying to push in the opposite direction. Fossil fuel companies have become so worried about their own job stability in the future, that they are funding their own investigations to try and disprove what we already know. One example of this 'buying out' method can be seen in the article "Fossil Fuel Funded Report Denies the Expert Global Warming Consensus" by John Abraham, where he discusses one of the articles produced by these fossil fuel companies. The fact that they are trying such a tactic does not surprise most, but what is surprising is that some scientists are actually willing to go along with it. By allowing scientists to be bought by these big companies, we are jeopardizing the study of science as a whole, how do we know who we can and cannot trust?  The way that some scientists see it, is that if people are reluctant to change anyway, then reports for the opposition won't make much of a difference. Other climate scientists who study Global Warming see those that work for these companies as sell outs, and that their work should not be held to the caliber that theirs is. A person who has a moderate understanding of the world around them tends to agree with the Global Warming scientists, and does not fall victim to the propaganda trap being set for them, but does their agreement actually help? While scientists generally want one to agree with them, more often than not they want people to actually do something with the information provided to them, and until everybody is able to see that, the information itself is useless.

People have always been reluctant to change, and it has been a great obstacle for us to change as much as we have already, but in order to make progress it is necessary that we continue to do so. If we as human beings cannot alter our present lifestyles a drastic amount, we are the ones who are destined to pay the price. We have lived in a life of luxury, and have enjoyed its fruits, but the longer we bask in what we have and ignore what has to be done, the less time we are left with. Ignorance is not bliss, and it will not make anything easier on us in the future, by ignoring what the world around us is saying, we are only harming ourselves and those in the future who have no say. It is time for America to wake up to the problem at hand and actually do something about it, there are no more "What if's," all that is left is "When." We have the means necessary to take action, we have to man power to make a difference, all we lack is the motivation, but without it there is nothing. Do you want to one day wake up to a world where nothing can be done, and know you could have?

