The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report has indicated that the global warming trend has reached what is feared to be the “tipping point.” This tipping point was determined to have been reached in the year 2005, despite the initial predictions that we would not see such catastrophic numbers until at least 2015. The 10 years of lost time make global warming one of the most urgent current environmental issues of today. The greenhouse gases that have been measured in the last few years have proven that the 455 parts per million readings are the result of environmental neglect.

The basic studies are convinced that the tipping point will mean that we will start to see some irreversible effects from global warming and that ecosystems around the world are already starting to suffer. This has unfortunately already been well illustrated by the polar bears’ plight to find food as their ice caps melt around them. The 1990s were a more environmentally friendly era as greenhouse gas emissions grew at a rate of less than 1% annually.

Measurements since the year 2000 have shown that greenhouse gas emissions grew steadily at a rate of 3.5% annually. Simply put, policies that destroyed the planet but lined pockets were established throughout the early 2000s and now the greenhouse gases are at a dangerously high tipping point.

Global warming is one of today’s most pressing current environmental issues but it is far from the only one. The loss of our natural resources is of great concern to environmentalists. With nothing more than the population growth, the dwindling resources would have experienced a serious toll. Add to that the intentional destruction of resources and we are soon facing crisis level depletion.

The Earth was created as a well balanced system that could maintain itself and sustain life. While progress has removed us from the daily dealings with the natural world, we still rely heavily on the natural balance of the Earth for survival. No matter how intense our technology becomes, there is no substitute for the balanced nature of the Earth.

For most of the planet, the natural resources that were once available even just twenty to fifty years ago have been significantly diminished. While there are companies that will plant a section of trees that have been cut down, they do not replace as much as they take.

A diminished natural resource issue can lead to all kinds of potentially dangerous situations including the loss of water for drinking and land for living upon. It is even speculated that there will be a shortage of food since farmers are being forced into sales for land development. If we buy up all the farms and put communities on them, where will our food come from?

Of course, pollution is one of today’s current environmental issues. Pollution of all kinds has a serious impact on the health of the planet, but also a serious impact on our health. The more we produce emissions from cars and industrial sources that help to make up ground level ozone, the less healthy the lungs of our society.

Pollution within the waters, some of which comes from runoff and some of which comes from illegal dumping, contaminates the entire ecosystem for miles around. Entire waterways can be affected, and our ground water is far from immune to the effects of waste disposal.

The fight against pollution has been a long one. From Giving a Hoot and picking up your own litter to restricting the use of pesticides and other chemicals, we all have the ability to contribute positively to the fight against pollution. While we can’t enforce our neighbor’s emissions, we can choose to ride our bike, recycle, and choose our activities based on the planet’s health. Every individual regardless of economic standing, origin of birth, or country of residence, plays a role in solving the current environmental issues of today, together we can improve the air quality standards.