Our Earth is sick. The planet is running a fever, and it’s not coming down.

Earth’s temperature is rising, and climate change is real, whether you choose to believe it or not. There is proof all around us that the Earth’s temperature is changing. Due to human activity, the Earth is gradually warming, creating all kinds of affects across the world, according to National Geographic.

Climate change is a problem today. Due to the toxins and chemicals humans put into the air, it causes the temperature to rise. The toxins and chemicals create a cloud-like area. The sun rays that would normally be reflected off Earth are now sticking around because they are unable to leave due to the “cloud,” or greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are heat-trapping gases released into the atmosphere, according to National Geographic.

Many people believe climate change isn’t real. They believe scientists and government officials are using global warming as another way to control people. Some people believe the Earth just goes through fluctuations where it’s warmer for a period of time then colder for other periods of time. Earth does go through natural mini fluctuations, however nothing like this, according to NASA’s Global Climate Change division. 

“The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is extremely likely (greater than 95 percent probability) to be the result of the human activity,” according to NASA’s Global Climate Change division.

The increase in the temperature is also making storms into the catastrophic storms, such as hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey. They quickly turned to category 4 and 5 storms because of the warmer waters, according to the National Weather Service and National Geographic. 

The water levels are also increasing, and coastal towns are slowly being engulfed by rising waters. Since the temperatures are rising, it is causing glaciers and the ice caps to melt, forcing the sea level to rise, according to the University of Auburn and the Union of Concerned Scientists. 

One way to fix or at least prevent the climate from changing even more is to speak up about climate change. It is important to spread the word and raise awareness because the more people who know, the more change that can be made.

Another way of helping the planet is by fixing homes’ drafts. That would end up by using less heat and air conditioning in your home, therefore less energy is being used within the house to keep it at a comfortable climate. Some other ways are using renewable energy sources, buying LED bulbs, avoiding food waste, reducing water waste and just shrinking your household’s carbon footprint in general could help a lot. Climate change will be tough to change, but we can stop it from getting any worse than it currently, according to Natural Resources Defense Council and Union of Concerned Scientists. 

If we cannot fix climate change, our earth could become inhabitable and humans could become extinct for longterm effects. The short term effects are an increase in temperature across the globe, higher animal extinction rates, an increased risk of disease and political repercussions, like wars over resources, according to Hearst Seattle Media Newspapers.

All around us you will find proof that Earth is sick. Still, to this day, people don’t believe in climate change, even though there are plenty of scientific examples showing it happening all around us. Scientist have stated climate change is real, and anyone can see that the weather is changing. The fact that this is still a topic for arguments is absurd.