By Destiny Guzman |Staff Writer|

Global warming threatens our current existence and our future generations.

I believe that this problem is irreversible, but I do not believe that we should just sit around and do nothing about it.

“We need to basically stop burning carbon faster than the earth can store it,” said lecturer and past Air Force meteorologist Ross McIntosh.

It might be nearly impossible to do this because according to “The Dangerous Myth That Climate Change Is Reversible,” “We’d have to drop total global emissions to zero now and for the rest of the century just to lower concentrations enough to stop temperatures from rising.”

Many people believe that it is too late to reverse the effects of this problem, but it is never too late to start a positive change.

The thought of global warming is an idea—a myth for some—but for those like myself, who believe that it is a dire need to tend to, we have to aggressively bring forth change.

Curiosity struck me about those who do not believe in this reality.

“I think a lot of people reject the idea of man-made global warming because they say that man is too small of a factor, and nature is too big. We couldn’t do it,” added McIntosh.

The truth is, we are the biggest factor for contributing to global warming.

“Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities,” according to NASA.

We need to realize that these rising temperatures on earth affect all of us, even those who oppose the idea of man-made global warming.

“If they look at the satellite imagery of the ice sheets and what they looked like 10 to 20 years ago and what they look like today, I don’t see that there’s any way to deny that those things are melting,” said Interim Chair Dr. Sally McGill.

Ice sheets melting and sea levels rising are some of the known effects that we see today and will continue to see.

There are serious consequences if we do not start to make a change now, and there will be even more detrimental effects in the future if we continue to ignore it.

Droughts, heat waves, and intense hurricanes are weather patterns that I do not want to experience, and whether I like it or not, I am living in a state that is currently undergoing a drought.

So, what exactly will happen in the future?

This is why we need to start now—to take care of our planet and forget high costs that come with it.

“As far as it being too expensive, last time I checked you can’t grow rice on Mars or on the Moon. If we don’t take care of this planet, where are we going to go? Don’t talk to me about it being too expensive to look after where we live,” concluded McIntosh.

We need to look after where we live, and having a goal to work towards and a purpose to bring a positive change is exactly what we need in order to help our planet.