There's no doubt that we are seeing warmer winters and a heavy conflict of temperatures every year that passes by. The question that is continuously being debated is whether or not the human race is solely responsible. Human life makes up a tiny sliver of the Earth's history, that dates back to an estimated 4.5 billion years. We humans come in around the last few thousand years of those 4.5 billion years, so it's hard to tell what happened before we existed. Our data on Earth's cycle is limited, so it's difficult to be unbiased about where the fault of climate change and global warming lies.

Scientists are seeing a rising amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions since humans have existed, especially within the last two hundred years. These emissions are causing the ozone layer to deplete, which is reeking havoc on our world. Most people drive every day as a way to commute. Companies are deforesting areas for fuel, farmland, and wood products. Factories that use an abundance of non-renewable sources are dumping more pollutants into our environment. Meat consumption is increasing, causing a significant increase of animals to be bred every year on meat farms. Frequently buying items made in factories are contributing to a heavy use in fuels such as oil and coal. These are just a few ways that we contribute to the rise in Carbon Dioxide emissions. Scientists are comfortable with proclaiming our greenhouse gas emissions to be a significant cause in global warming and climate change. NASA is one of many organizations, made up of teams of leading scientists in the world, who believe this to be true through extensive research.

The sad thing is, people hear about global warming and climate change so much that they brush it off. When people react to this matter, it's similar to how they react to those sad commercials that appear, asking people to donate to a cause; they simply ignore it, because they're tired of hearing and seeing about it. It's like people have developed an immunity to something they don't want to worry about or are tired of hearing about. I've even been guilty before. Sometimes, people even get to the point where they feel helpless about it, so they give up. The mentality of "Well, I'm not sure as to what I can do about it." has encroached a lot of individual's minds. This mentality has to end along with the year of 2016. So, while we celebrate and welcome the new year of 2017, don't be hesitant to use it as a platform for change. Imagine how much change can be made in the future because of habits that were changed in a single year. The technology and ability to reduce your carbon footprint is available, but why do so many seem to continue with the bad habits? It's because of many reasons; lack of information on the matter, sometimes it seems too complex to switch, or some simply don't think that they have the ability to convert to an eco-friendly lifestyle. You take your pick.

This is a simple New Year's resolution that I ask and encourage each of you to adopt. If you're scared to commit to a New Years resolution, don't be, because this one is effortless. If you already have a New Years resolution, work on this one too. Even if you carpool at least once this year or buy an eco-friendly cleaning agent, that is one less act of harm to this planet. It also means that you have worked toward fulfilling this resolution. Imagine if the estimated seven billion people that inhabit Earth did at least one action to reduce their carbon footprint. Now double that, and even triple that, and so on for every act that everyone performs. Imagine if everyone adopted this lifestyle and made better choices. That is how much change we can make.

Start by educating yourself on the matter of global warming and climate change. Make continuous steps to change your habits. Make more sustainable choices that can eliminate or heavily reduce the destruction of Earth. There are so many things that you can do to help the Earth: Carpool, don't make unnecessary trips, buy eco-friendly and biodegradable products, don't support companies that pollute the environment, try not to waste and even be aware of what and how much you consume, so you can make better choices. These are only a few of the thousands of ways that you can change your daily lifestyle to work toward giving future generations a tangible future. Even if global warming and climate change turn out to be a hoax (which I highly disbelieve this to be the case), you will have lost nothing, other than a few carbon footprints.

This won't solve everything and automatically fix global warming and climate change right away. It definitely takes time. By learning what to change and by reducing a dependency on the corporations that do these horrible acts to the environment, that's how you can change the world. You may even make a more sustainable lifestyle for yourself and others, which actually helps to save money and promote a healthy and long life. So, join in on this resolution. It's not a hard mission, and you will leave 2017 feeling very fulfilled, especially when you see how easy it is. Make the change, and lead others to do the same, so that your grandchildren and their children have a future on planet Earth. Whether you believe in global warming, climate change, or both, the change needed to sustain the Earth starts with you. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

If you feel like you need to know more about the subject, click here for a video regarding climate change and click here for a video regarding global warming.