Earth’s average surface temperature has gone up about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit  since the late 19th century (climate.nasa.gov). Though it may not seem like much, the numbers are rising. It is already a well known fact that the ice caps are melting, but what most people do not realise, is that those ice caps are crucial to animals such as polar bears and arctic seals.

The planet goes through natural cycles of heating and cooling, and all together some parts of global warming are prone to happen. Ice ages also tie into climate change, meaning that ice ages could occur, however they take millions of years to begin. “Although the exact causes for ice ages, and the glacial cycles within them, have not been proven, they are most likely the result of a complicated dynamic interaction between such things as solar output, distance of the Earth from the sun, position and height of the continents, ocean circulation, and the composition of the atmosphere.” (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/cause-ice-age/)

However, because of the carbon emissions that things from our everyday lives let off, we are increasing the global warming dilemma more and more.

In the past, the levels of carbon dioxide were at a fairly steady rate, but due to the lack of fixing this problem  early on, it has caused a spike in carbon within the last 30 years. Originally, the problem was natural, however over time humans have made the problem worse with things like cars, planes, machinery, factories, and many more harmful things that give off carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Some believe that climate change cannot be stopped however, others such as 9th grader Naomi Wenning feel differently, “We should do something now because people in the past haven’t done anything and have made it worse,” Wenning says. “We should care more about the future and do more activities like walking or biking, and do less of things like smoking and driving non electric cars.”

Some skeptics don’t believe in global warming. They may argue things like “But it’s cold outside.” or “It snowed last winter.” This is because there is not an automatic change in temperature right away. We as humans are slowly making it worse. The average temperature rises every year and though it may not seem like much now, but the future will suffer even more.

9th grader Kamryn Enos says that even though it has been a natural problem for a while, the dilemma has grew within the last few years. “Global warming has been a problem for centuries, but it’s gotten worse over the last couple of years,” Enos says. “Anything can change especially if you put your mind to it”.

Every day there is a possibility to help stop global warming, some tasks are more difficult than others. If global warming has any chance at reversing it takes time and effort to do so, therefore doing things like using less hot water, or carpooling, are just small steps that go a long way.