Global Warming: Who Warmed Our Globe?

Global warming has suddenly become the world's biggest problem. However, it didn't just happen. It is the product of progress, a progress that we all embraced as our quality of life improved over the years.

Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity. He could not anticipate that someday it would power computers, air conditioners and large factories in the future! Likewise, Henry Ford did not invent the car (contrary to common belief), but he did introduce the assembly line to produce the vehicles faster, better and in greater quantity.

There are many more discoveries and inventions that occurred over the past 300 years. They were intended to simplify our everyday lives, but they became a way of life that we now take for granted.

Scientists say that some warming is natural. The scientists also predicted that our problems will increase if emissions of heat-trapping gases are not brought under control. Our lifestyles gave a burst of speed to the inevitable process.

We drained chemicals and dumped trash into the ocean. These activities caused the ocean to become warmer quicker. This created warmer surface air which influences our weather patterns. As a result, severe weather is expected across the entire earth.

The factories let their emissions float upward into the atmosphere and the ozone layer became thinner. This allowed certain UV rays from the sun to penetrate the earth. The result? People who were once sun worshipers became cancer patients.

Some species will disappear as their environment changes. WE warmed our globe and we have to take ownership of this problem. Admittedly, the process of this warming has taken centuries to become today's problem. It will take time and vigilance to improve the situation.

Global warming has given us the new buzz phrases of;Going Green; and Environmental Awareness; - the only methods available to us at this time to begin to reverse some of the warming. Let us consider some actions that could start a reversal of sorts.

Car pools help cut down the volume of traffic and therefore, cut down the emissions from those vehicles. Telecommuting combined with the outsourcing will allow more people to work at home. Cottage industries are beginning to appear and produce many products that are now sold online.

EBay is now a household word. Projects that were never thought of in the past decade are increasing now. Creative members of our population have designed income- producing activities that can be done on the home front.

Going Green takes effort and willpower. There is much we can do to aid in the effort to combat global warming. Paper dinnerware produces trash which requires disposal. What's wrong with real dinnerware? Then we have the dilemma of paper or plastic. Plastic is not easily bio-degradable.

Thankfully, some food stores have made a commitment to stop offering plastic for bagging groceries. Bottles and cans are being recycled. Some office supplies are now environmentally friendly and made from recycled materials. Hybrid cars that also use alternative fuel sources are becoming more common.

All of this is moving us in the right direction. Of course, there are the naysayer who claim we are taking a step back in time, but there is a lot to be said for living the simple life and enjoying it. All of us must remember that if we do not wish to be the problem, and then we must be the solution.

So, who warmed our globe? That's the problem. We did . . . and therein Lies the solution.