Caring for the environment is one of the most pressing issues of our time and the greatest environmental challenge we face is global warming. This crisis is taking place before our very eyes. Humanity’s use of fossil fuels: oil, coal and natural gas, as well as the cutting down of forests and other practices, is changing the climate of the entire planet. This is a crisis for all of humanity and for many other species, a global emergency that we must all help to solve.

In the past decade, we have seen the warmest years on record and this trend is not changing. Over 400,000 square miles of sea ice have melted over the past 30 years. The disappearance of the polar ice caps in turn speeds up global warming, because the ice no longer reflects the sun’s energy. The melting ice is also creating rising sea levels, which threatens coastal areas around the world.

Rising temperatures mean that plants and animals can no longer survive in their habitats. Polar bears face extinction because they can no longer swim to their hunting grounds on the edge of the ice cap. Crops fail because of drought, causing widespread food shortages. The food chain in the oceans is disrupted, causing some species to disappear and others to expand their numbers.

Nobel Laureate Betty Williams on Restoring Earth’s Environment

“You have to work one person at a time. That may sound ridiculous, but if you are going to do anything new, you have to start right at the root core of the problem, and if you don’t take action from the bottom up, then the problem won’t be solved. “

Warmer oceans mean a greater number of powerful, destructive storms. The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes, the most severe and destructive types, has almost doubled in the last 30 years. Hurricanes and other storms kill people, destroy homes and in the case of New Orleans, can even destroy entire cities. Other extreme weather, such as heat waves, droughts, and wildfires have begun to be more common.

It is not too late to do something about global warming, if the world will act now. We must change our individual behaviors and the behavior of society at large. We must demand the development of new sources of energy and a giant reduction or even a complete end to the use of fossil fuels.

It is through working together at all levels that we can begin to make the earth whole again. Every human being has a responsibility to work toward this goal, and to ensure that life can survive for generations to come.