An Introduction

We live at a point in history in which tomorrow's cell phone out dates yesterday's and one in which the phrase government bailout has become a household phrase. But more importantly, it is a time of change in general, a rapid change to be exact. Not only is our country's economic situation changing faster than a ball falling from the top of Mt. Everest, but the environment in which we live . . . the oceans, the forests, the ice sheets, the deserts . . . is under an immense amount of stress that is caused, at least in part, by human, or anthropogenic, activities. These activities arguably have brought about changes in Earth's climate over the last century, putting enormous pressure on many of earth's biomes to adapt at a pace never before seen. In short, societal actions have changed our climate and the environment.

Scientist to this day do not agree on the extent to which anthropogenic activities have shifted climate and altered our environment, nor can they agree on the magnitude of the changes that will occur in the next century. Climate is a puzzling topic to study, one inundated with complex physical, chemical, and biological formulations of how things work. It is my hope to simplify the topics most relevant to climate and the environment in a manner that can be easily understood by all. And, potentially more importantly, provide tips along the way so that you can make better, more educated decisions in the future to help mitigate the changing climate and environment.

Thank you for reading!