Gas is Gold! Why You Should Get Informed About Global Warming

Let's face it. 2008 is the year of Gas is Gold. As you go begrudgingly to the gas pump and fork out 4 dollars a gallon to get to work and the grocery store, think about the bigger problem of global warming. You are part of the club of millions of Americans who can't afford gas prices right now. The combined effect of millions of people practicing smarter consumption of gas is great news for the Earth! Here is a bit more about global warming.

Imagine a world radically different from the world we live in due to different weather patterns. Climate change is not something that happened overnight, but occurred over more than two centuries of industrial development. What is the definition of this commonly used term? Global warming refers to a phenomenon in which fossil fuel burning (including burning gas in your car) and the eradication of forests have trapped a high amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The warming of the globe occurs because the greenhouse gases do not permit gases to travel into space. The gases are like a greenhouse's glass walls, trapping in warmth for plants during cold weather.

In the case of Earth's climate, however, it is not desirable for the buildup of heat to keep occurring through the greenhouse effect. The continued buildup of greenhouse gases could change the global climate in detrimental ways. For example, as the temperature of the atmosphere rises, the glaciers in the coldest parts of the world melt, and the sea-level rises. Significant meltdown of glaciers has already occurred. There are other effects of this climate change, but scientists cannot predict with certainty the precise effects of the climate change brought about by the trapping of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

Environmentalists have fought back, encouraging people to recycle household products, plant more trees, buy fuel efficient cars, and fund alternative sources of energy. You don't have to go green in order to make a difference. The simple effort of recycling plastic helps the Earth because plastic is made out of petroleum. When you have to avoid unnecessary trips in your car because of the high price of gas, you can take heart in the fact that you are burning less of the Earth's limited fuel sources. This thinking might not get you where you want to go (like spending the weekend at Disney World), but it can help you to sleep better at night.