Our future depends on the present. Although we can’t reverse the effects of our past actions, we can take steps to improve our outlook for the future. Scientists can only estimate the rate at which warming will occur based on historical greenhouse gas emissions. The extent and speed of which climate change occurs will depend on the level of greenhouse gases we continue to release into our environment. If we continue to do “business as usual,” and not make any changes to the amount of greenhouse gases we emit, carbon dioxide emissions are expected to soar 41 to 158 percent higher than current levels by the end of the century.

The evidence for present climate change is an example of what we can expect in the future if we don’t begin to reverse our practices. Small increases in global temperature can mean big changes in the planet and those that inhabit it – human health, ecological systems, sea levels and crops. The occurrences of heat stress and other heat-related health problems are directly affected by increasing temperatures. Warmer temperatures will enable disease-carrying insects, animals and microbes to survive in areas where they normally would not. Indirectly, climate change could lead to other health issues as results of ecological disturbances like air pollution, coastal flooding and more.

Climate change may also alter the world’s ecosystems, which rely heavily on a delicate combination of rainfall, temperature and soil type. Plants, animals and other living organisms that cannot withstand those changes in their natural habitat are also at risk of extinction. Polar bears are already facing threats of extinction in this century due to rapidly melting ice caps where they hunt and live.

Coastal areas are also facing rising sea levels. In the last century, sea levels have risen five to six inches higher than average along the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Experts believe the current levels may rise as much as two feet in the next century. Residential areas are quickly losing ground and the natural habitats are also flooding and experiencing erosion due to the increase. Additionally, water habitats are extremely delicate ecosystems that are susceptible to changes in salinity. Glaciers and ice caps are composed of freshwater that is melting into oceans around the world. Saltwater organisms can be adversely affected by the changes. As sea levels rise, salty ocean water also encroaches upon freshwater rivers, bays and groundwater.