Imagine waking up on a peaceful December morning, and you wake up to… Rain? Hold on that’s not right, this is not Florida, it’s  the middle of Nebraska! You take a step outside to find out you don’t even need a coat, because it’s 64 degrees outside. Something isn’t right, it’s supposed to be 12 degrees and snowing outside, not weather rivaling summertime. Lately, Nebraska, like many other places, have been warming up. What used to be a nice snowy day, is now warm. We are increasingly getting less and less snow, and it is getting warmer and warmer in both the summer and winter time, with the summer reaching 110 degrees plus, and it staying through the 80s in the fall and dropping to the 40s-60s even sometimes in the winter, all time highs.

 There are a couple of reasons to explain why temperatures are increasing around the world, the earth is warming up. This has been happening naturally for centuries, it was inevitable. Things like the sun, volcanic eruptions, and natural fires are natural ways that the earth naturally increases temperatures, through the natural emissions of carbon dioxide. While this is a factor that always occurred, and the warming was inevitable, humanity is speeding up the process. According to an ongoing study over temperature conducted by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, “the average global temperature on Earth has increased by a little more than 1° Celsius (2° Fahrenheit) since 1880. Two-thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975, at a rate of roughly 0.15-0.20°C per decade.” Before then, it would take millions of years to reach an increase of this magnitude. This is due to the human production of carbon dioxide. Things like factories, cars, and anything that’s essentially burning fossil fuels has increased the rate that the earth is warming exponentially. Sooner or later, the earth will no longer see any more true winters in most areas. If you still want your snowy winters, you can help! Little things like carpooling, using energy that’s only necessary, like turning off the lights when you leave the house,  and reusing items will help you save money, and the environment. The warming of the earth is inevitable, but let earth take its natural course, let’s not change it. Lower your carbon footprint, and together we can all slow down the process, and we can keep our snowy winters and avoid our scorching hot summers.