“Make no mistake: without concerted action, the very future of our planet is in peril," says Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund. Our planet has become at risk over the past century because of escalated use of fossil fuels and higher carbon dioxide levels then people have ever seen. There is scientific evidence that climate change is happening, yet some people doubt that global warming even exists.

Some people believe that global warming is a myth, they don’t believe the environment is in danger. Global warming is not just a theory, it is real, and it is happening now. The temperature of the Earth is rising, the ozone layer is decreasing, we are trapping increased heat in the atmosphere and sooner or later a number animal species will become extinct and human health will be at risk. Across the globe there have been increases in droughts, hurricanes, floods and unusual weather occurrences that hurt crops, destroyed homes, and have taken lives. The temperatures in 2012 have been the warmest since records started to be kept in 1880.

The last century has seen the temperature of the Earth rise because of the excessive use of fossil fuels that have made a hole in the ozone layer. A hole in the ozone layer increases the amount of UVB rays reaching the Earth, which increases the risk of health effects. Plants can also be affected by the amount of UVB radiation.

There are a group of scientists that meet in London to discuss the Earth and what is in store for the future of the planet. The Planet Under Pressure Conference (PUP) has concluded that the Earth is coming to the point where a recovery from global warming will not be possible. They believe that by 2100 the temperature will rise by 6 degrees Celsius (42.8 degrees F) if gases continue to rise without control. This would result in the loss of ice sheets and rainforests. The tropical rainforests produce 40% of the world’s oxygen. Losing the rainforests would take a major toll on environment and human health. Another effect is the threat to coral reef development. The Great Barrier Reef is home to over 350 species of coral, 1,800 species of fish, and also home to hundreds of sharks, sponges, and even dolphins and whales. Some species would probably go extinct because of the Earth changing and their habitat and source of food disappearing.

Global warming would not only affect the animals on Earth but also the humans. Greenland’s ice caps would also increase in the speed in which they are melting, raising the sea level by 23 feet and swallowing some of the land on the coasts of several continents. Grass has been seen growing on Antarctica where the ice has melted away. The world will see a dramatic change over the next 100 years unless we try to make changes and do our part to conserve the planet.

Barack Obama said, “All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it's here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster.” He refers to global warming as a “man-made disaster.” I believe this statement truly reflects what is happening to the planet. We as humans have put ourselves in this alarming position and now we must suffer the consequences that lie ahead of us unless action is taken immediately. Some of the effects we may be able to reverse, but some we will never be able to return from. Why is it that some people cannot believe that climate change is real? World leaders and global scientists all point to the dangers that we will face as a result of global warming. The argument is too strong to be ignored any longer.