Climatic conditions are changing whether we realize it or not. I live in a cold weather state where winter months are usually filled with lots of snowflakes falling to the ground and temperatures thirty and below. But in the last couple of years that has hardly been the case. There’s been very little snow except for a light dusting here and there. As for the temperature, it’s been wavering between the forties and fifties, even an occasional balmy sixty.

In recent years there has been a lot of debate over global warming. There has also been quite a lot of skepticism. But there is evidence of global warming and changing weather patterns taking place all over the earth if only we’d open our eyes. The average temperature has increased. In recent times we’ve seen devastation in the form of floods, wildfires, hurricanes and tsunami. Thousands of people lost lives, loved ones, homes and everything they owned. Is Mother Nature taking revenge on humanity or is her body simply on the verge of collapse due to the incessant burdens humanity has placed on her? Either way, we’re reaching a turning point in the lives of the earth and ourselves.

The role humanity has played in reaching that turning point takes center stage. Human activities have been the largest contributing factor in the changes taking place within and upon our planet. Pollution by the hand of humanity, particularly fossil fuels add to global warming. Our modes of transportation are a huge source of that pollution. As the human population continues to grow and expand, industrial needs also continue to increase. There is no longer room for skepticism. There is plenty of evidence to support global warming.

As the artic melts, animals that depend on such a climate are now threatened. More animal and plant species are becoming endangered and may face extinction. With the rising sea levels, melting of polar caps and other earth changes, we may see an increase in insects, disease and more severe storms spreading across the world. For years we have failed to heed the signs of nature. We have continued to deplete the earth of her life sustaining resources. We have destroyed the forests, drove species to the brink of extinction, polluted the air, land and water and still we continue to follow the same destructive path.

Will we continue to see changing weather patterns? Will our lives and homes be ravaged by drought, flood, tropical storms and severe climatic conditions? Is it too late to reverse the damage we have done? Some believe it is. Others still have hope. But we have to wonder if Mother Earth is beginning to look upon her children with the same disregard they have shown to her for so long. By destroying our planet, we are destroying ourselves. Maybe it’s not too late to reverse the process and save our world but one thing is for certain if we continue to follow the same path of greed and destruction the consequences may be more dire than we expect. Earth’s resources are not unlimited. It is time we look to the old ways and remember respect for the land that gives us life.

Written by Darlene Zagata