Rising sea levels, erratic temperatures, melting glaciers, species extinction and rising ocean temperatures are just some of the signs that the world climate is changing. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains that “climate is the 'average weather' over a period ranging from months to thousands or millions of years.” NOAA goes on to define abrupt climate change as “a change in climate (e.g., temperature or precipitation) that occurs over a few decades or less, persists for at least a few decades, and causes substantial disruptions to human and natural life ". systems" (NOAA 1). Excess greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are leading to rapid climate change in the form of global warming and irreparably harming plants, animals and people. Some consequences of global warming, such as severe heat waves and the strongest hurricanes, can be life-threatening. The last two decades of the 20th century were the warmest in 400 years and the warmest in several millennia, according to some climate experts who say the worst effects of global warming are yet to come. arrive. For example, the IPCC report predicts that within the next 50 to 100 years there will be widespread deaths due to heat stress, severe water shortages and devastation due to weather disasters (Issues and Controversies). human activities that cause and accelerate global climate change; consequences of these changes for life on Earth; and solutions to address and avoid such changes in the future, focusing largely on the United States. The human causes of global climate change have become well established over the past decade (NOAA 1). Data shows that human activities have intensively contaminated… half the paper… carbon dioxide emissions for at least the next 200 years. Much of the debate about possible solutions to climate change revolves around the misconception that economic progress cannot happen without carbon emissions. Instead, we have an opportunity: to transform an economy based on unsustainable, poorly dispersed fossil fuels into a long-lasting, secure system fueled by abundant renewable energy. As with other serious problems, solutions to human-caused climate change require collaboration, flexibility and creativity. The choices we make every day will determine the future of our planet and our societies for centuries (Sawin). Education, eco-friendly legislation and the thoughtful actions of individuals can put an end to the most hotly debated environmental issue in the world today and put us on the path to a sustainable and abundant future.