The science community has repeatedly proven the detrimental destruction – caused by the rapid transformation in weather patterns – global warming has inflicted upon the Earth; unfortunately, despite the myriad of evidence that supports climate change’s existence, there still remains a portion of the population who do not accept the fact that this environmental shift is very much real.

I wish to establish some facts before I digress further. The gradual transformation of the Earth’s climate is to be expected and is a natural cycle that our planet undergoes overtime. That is not what is meant when referring to climate change. According to Dictionary.com, this is a ” change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels”. Global warming is significantly exacerbated by the activity of humans and our behavior has been scientifically proven to have devastating consequences for the environment.

The reasons for the denial of climate change range from political to economic. Large corporate companies that are involved in the fossil fuel industry insist that the Earth is not experiencing warmer temperatures and abnormal weather. This is due to the fact that the acknowledgement of fossil fuels having a negative impact on the planet would damage the business of these companies that produce the very items that contribute to this change. Several politicians also deny global warming for their own personal gain, as these corporations sponsor these individuals or buy their silence.

Others civilians may choose to simply believe that climate change is a hoax, claiming that there is no reputable scientific data supporting this shift. It is understandable that one may be hesitant to believe what they hear if the information garnered does not come from a well known and reliable source. However, there has been an abundance of the most brilliant contemporary scientific minds of this age and programs that have conducted experiments and have come to the same conclusion. To name one such program, NASA has dedicated an entire website titled Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet to the warming of the Earth.

The Earth is our home. It provides us with life, food, water, shelter, and everything else that we have and love. We cannot allow ourselves to destroy our planet. The ramifications that arise from climate change not only affect the current population, but future generations as well. I can only pray that people will see the errors of their opinions regarding climate change before it is too late.