Over the years more people have been careless about what they put in the environment and what effect it has on the environment. In turn, this has increased the global warming threat our planet is facing.

Many scientists have come out saying that if we don’t get how we treat our world under control,  by the year 2030 it will be impossible to reverse the damage done. The impacts of global warming are more serious than the average person realizes. Some of the most horrifying results of global warming include melting of glaciers and ice sheets, temperature stratification, and poor human health.

Recently, the permafrost has been melting in many places where it has been frozen for hundreds of years. Viruses and diseases can survive in a frozen state. Therefore, all of the deadly viruses and diseases that have killed civilizations over the centuries are basically being thawed out as the glaciers and ice sheets are melting due to global warming.  These deadly diseases include the Black Death and the 1918 flu pandemic, just two of the many diseases that may have survived in the permafrost and may be introduced back into the atmosphere now that global warming is occurring. If by any chance the !918 Flu pandemic virus has survived in the permafrost, we could have a recurrence that could kill 20 percent of Earth’s population, just as it did in 1918.

Most people think that ensuring that the environment isn’t being harmed isn’t their “job,” and it is the responsibility of the scientists. However, this is not true. It is not just the scientists duty to ensure the safety of this planet, it is everyone’s. Some ways the average person can get involved in helping include the following: using reusable bags; recycling; limiting car usage by carpooling; and saving paper, water, and electricity.

One way the government is trying to regulate global warming is by instituting a tax to reduce carbon emissions. In addition to the tax lowering the amounts of greenhouse gases entering our atmosphere, specifically carbon dioxide, the money gained from this tax will be put to good use.  The income from the carbon tax would be used to reduce corporate and income taxes. This tax would be very beneficial for the environment, as well as the country.

As global warming increases, there is not much anyone can do to go back to what it was like in the past. However, there a number of ways people can prevent how global warming impacts our future. The first step to helping our planet starts with the average citizen. Every person, not just the scientists, has the duty to assist our environment. For instance, If every student kept the notes they took in school instead of throwing them away, the environment would be that much healthier.  Let’s start to care more about what we put into our environment, because the consequences of not caring are not pretty.