Global warming is occurring at an alarming rate. The average global temperatures has increased at the fastest rate over the last 50 years. Since 2000, 15 of the hottest years in NASA’s 134-year record have transpired. Scientists say that we are on our way to increase the average temperatures by 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the next century.

So what is causing this? Carbon dioxide and other pollutants are collecting in the atmosphere, stopping light and radiation from the sun from escaping. The pollutants trap the heat in which causes the Earth to gradually become hotter. This is called the green-house effect. Coal-burning power plants are the biggest polluters. The second largest source of carbon is transportation. These polluters are not natural, they are man-made.

It is obvious that humans are responsible for this. We cause the two top reasons for an extreme increase in pollution. According to the Nation Climate Assessment, “human influences are are the number one cause of global warming”.

Although global warming is a part of Earth’s natural cycle, humans are only increasing the speed of the pattern. No other species has ever used as many resources as we do and no other species has caused the amount of destruction that we have. The issue of global warming has become a more well-known topic which has caused many organizations to arise claiming they want to make the Earth a better place. But no matter what we do now, we can’t erase the mistakes of the past.

The slightly higher temperatures now may not seem like much now and they may not seem too drastic, but they are causing storms, heat waves, floods, and droughts to last longer and become more extreme. Right now, this is one of the world’s most serious concerns, but it is only the hole that humans have dug for themselves.