Walking into the classroom, a sudden wave of heat hits many faces.  Five minutes later, sweat is dripping down and forming puddles on the desks.  No one remembers it being so humid.

Does it feel like each year gets hotter and hotter? Does it get so hot you wish it was winter?  Well, climate change could be to blame.  Recently, many records of temperatures, have been broken.  This year, the Earth was a substantial 0.18 degrees warmer (Washington Post pg. 1).  What would happen if the Earth was 0.18 degrees warmer the next year, and the year after that, and the year after that?  Eventually, going outside for any reason would be too dangerous.  Climate change is becoming a problem.

Recently, temperatures have spiked. El Niños have broken previous records, and 2016 is predicted to be the hottest year on record (Washington Post pg. 2).  In addition to that, NASA has proven that July of 2016 was the hottest month, surpassing temperatures records of months recorded years prior (Washington Post pg. 1). Yes, July is the hottest month on record, but it is also the 10th straight month of record breaking temperatures (Washington Post pg. 1).  Currently, the data has shown a trending path of increasing temperatures, all over the world, not just in the United States of America.  The NOAA in Japan had similar findings to the ones of NASA in America.  Before July, NOAA’s analysis showed record-breaking temperatures for the past 14 months in a row (Washington Post pg. 2).  Global warming is not a one-time occurrence.  Data and statistics show that temperatures are constantly rising, causing a trend in the increase of temperature.  Repetition of the increasing temperature indicates that the development of global warming is real.

Because temperatures are rising at a steady rate, the environment is starting to undergo change as well.  Take the Arctic as an example.  The Arctic was 7 degrees warmer this year (Washington Post pg. 2).  If the temperature continues to rise, eventually all the ice in the Arctic will thaw.  Water from the thawed ice will flow causing nearby areas to flood, and possibly submerge that space of land in water.  People living in those areas of land will be forced to move to other towns and cities.  Soon, expanses of land will be overpopulated with humans.  This, in turn, will cause resource shortages as well as causing people to be jobless from the lack of employment opportunities.  Another example of change are animals living in cold habitats.  Certain animals would not be able to live in the hot weather.  Extinction could be the result if all the animals die out from not being able to stand the heat.  Global warming may be an insignificant problem at the moment, but in future, major consequences are in play. 

Many people believe that global warming is not a problem.  Others believe that global warming is inevitable, and humans will find a way to work around this problem. Still others think it is a hoax, they think it is fake. While I agree that global warming was unavoidable, I do believe that humans are partly to blame, and it is most definitely real.  This year, the Earth’s temperature reached its highest point in 136 years (Washington Post).  If you think about it, cars, vehicles, and other automobiles  have not been around for a long time.  Maybe, this is a signal that vehicles are a major contributor to global warming.  A majority of the human population drive cars and other automobiles. CO2 emissions and fossil fuels are getting trapped in the atmosphere.  Now, people might ask, so what? Who cares if it is getting hotter outside?  The problem is, how are we going to live if it is too hot to step a foot outdoors?  Children and adults alike would not have the ability to enjoy the sunny outdoors.  Food supplies would be scarce from the lack of crops in the torrid sun.  I believe that if we are to change the course of global warming, we need to start now.

Climate change is a growing problem in the world.  Our lives as we know it could change, and it may not be for the better.  However, if we change our lifestyle, even in the slightest, the rate of global warming could slow down.  Alternative uses of energy, planting trees, recycling, other means of transportation, and many other gestures can help change the course of global warming. What can you do to make a change?