I read an article recently that honestly scared me for my future. Not only for my children's future but for mine. It detailed a new study released on Halloween, and spooky is putting it lightly. The study was conducted by Nature, the International Journal of Science, and it revealed that climate change has been increasing at a quicker rate than we previously thought, all based on data from the ocean.

New measurement equipment called "Argo floats" were used to read the ocean's internal temperature, and the results found that oceans have retained 60 percent more heat each year than scientists previously thought. I'm sure you can guess what that means. This could leave nations with even less time than we thought to decrease the world's carbon dioxide emissions in the hope of limiting global warming to the already ambitious goal of 2.7 degrees above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.

I grew up with a strong appreciation of the environment, living at the foot of the Appalachian mountains and going to camp in western North Carolina every summer. I have been conscious of the effect humans have on the environment and have tried to do my small part in saving the planet.

At the rate our planet is headed, it will take more than everyone doing their small part to fix the earth. The planet will warm to dangerous levels in our lifetime, so this is our problem to fix. Even a one-degree difference will damage fragile ecosystems all of the world on earth and at sea. Big issues with city infrastructure and production will need to be revised, and we will all need to be educated and active in supporting these changes.

One important way to help is through voting. Be knowledgeable about the candidates you choose to vote for and their stance on each issue. I am not saying you should vote for a candidate solely based off of their view on climate change, but be sure you consider each of their views before voting a straight party vote.

No matter who you vote for or have voted for, do not take climate change lightly. It is a serious issue that we should all not only be conscientious about, but we should also be active in this knowledge, do our part, and most importantly, advocate for change. Today.