200 Words on Global Warming

That average global temperatures are rising and that the polar icecaps are melting are not in doubt; these changes have been quantified and verified countless times. That there are more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere today than any other time in human history is equally evident. Given the inherently chaotic nature of climate change, there is no direct proof that humans are causing global warming. Even so, computer models strongly suggest that our production of greenhouse gases has definitely contributed to the climate change. Certainly more direct evidence and further study is required, but the correlation cannot be ignored.

Fossil fuels are only one piece in the complex puzzle of global warming, but it is a piece that we can directly control. Reducing greenhouse emissions by developing cleaner and renewable sources of energy will help reduce the risk of global warming. But it will also reduce local air and water pollution and reduce dependence upon foreign oil, which are practical reasons enough even if the threat of global warming is ignored. Doing nothing ensures that all these problems will worsen. This search will have a substantial price tag in the short-term, but the Earth is a long-term investment.