Global warming has become a hotly debated issue, but the fact is, it is real, and it is a serious issue. 

Climate change is often confused with “global warming,” but they are different. Climate change refers to all types of changing weather patterns, while global warming focuses on rising temperatures (Merriam-Webster). 

Leonardo DiCaprio, the famous actor and global warming activist, is the executive producer of the documentary Before the Flood. 

This documentary gives a look into how climate change affects society, and how it will affect the world if people continue living the way they do (IMDB).

Such activism is often criticized because people refuse to believe global warming is real. However, there is endless evidence that global warming does exist. 

It is important that society is aware of the issue, and sensitive to how human actions affect the natural beauty of the earth.

NASA explains that the earth’s rate of temperature increase has nearly doubled from 1906 to 2005, and that temperatures will continue to go up.

Greenhouse gases are constantly being released into the atmosphere by electricity and commercial production, transportation, industry, and agriculture (epa.gov). In effect, the greenhouse gases trap heat, and warm up the earth.

This concept is not hard to understand. The mass productions going on in the world today contribute directly to global warming.

Glaciers around the world are affected by global warming, where high temperatures warm up the ice, which results in large chunks of ice crashing into the water. The ice then melts, causing sea levels to rise.

Ice shelves in Antarctica are disintegrating because rising temperatures cause the shelves to weaken and crack (nasa.gov).

According to World Watch, the Rocky Mountains, in the United States, have shown signs of change due to rising temperatures. The higher regions of the mountains are melting, thus, the habitats of some animals are at risk.

Polar bears are one of the many animals affected by global warming. As temperatures increase, their habitats are becoming too warm, which has resulted in a declining polar bear population (National Wildlife Federation).

Humans are affected by global warming as well.

National Geographic tells the story of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe of the Louisiana Bayou whose land, the Isle de Jean Charles, is vanishing into the Gulf of Mexico due to rising waters. The Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated the tribe $48 million to relocate as a result, but money can’t save the culture tied to the land.

Approximately 41% of Northmont students believe global warming is a serious issue, and that something should be done about it, while nearly 30% do not think it’s serious at all. Roughly 24% of students do not believe global warming is serious enough to pay attention to.