The science is clear: climate change is happening, and it is linked directly to human activities that emit greenhouse gases.Scientists state unequivocally that the earth is warming. Climate change is happening, it is caused in large part by human activity, and it will have many serious and potentially damaging effects in the decades ahead. Greenhouse gas emissions from cars, power plants, and other human activities—rather than natural variations in climate—are the primary cause of contemporary global warming. Due largely to the combustion of fossil fuels, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal greenhouse gas, are at a level unequaled for at least 800,000 years. The greenhouse gases from human activities are trapping more of the sun’s heat in the earth’s atmosphere, resulting in warming. Over the last century, average global temperatures rose by more than 1°C and some regions warmed by as much as 4°C.

Scientists project that if the increase in man-made greenhouse gas emissions continues unabated, temperatures could rise by as much as 11°C by the end of this century, likely causing dramatic—and irreversible—changes to the climate, with profound consequences for humanity and the world as a whole. Water supplies in some critical areas will dwindle as snow and ice disappear. Sea levels will rise, threatening coastal populations. Droughts and floods will become more common. And hurricanes and other powerful storms will cause more and more damage.

Agricultural production may increase with slight warming, but will decrease thereafter due to changes in precipitation, weather extremes, and the spread of crop pests and diseases. Changing weather patterns will also change the distribution and incidence of insect-borne and waterborne diseases, such as malaria and cholera. Human health will be jeopardized by all of these changes. Time is to act, now!!!