Have you ever wondered why you even tune in to the news? I mean, seriously. It’s rare that you view a daily broadcast on a major network in its entirety and aren’t left wondering, is anything going right in this country?!? Terror attacks, riots, economic problems, and political disputes dominate the news stations we view regularly. When the many issues of the United States are brought right before our eyes on a daily basis, it’s hard not to be a downer sometimes.

It can be a real pain to discuss problems that threaten our country as a whole, but it’s crucial that we do. Chief among nationwide news topics is climate change and its disastrous effects on our environment and on American citizens. Yes, thinking about the looming threats of rising temperatures, toxic air, filthy water, and rising sea levels is depressing and feels pessimistic, but if we don’t talk these issues over, they’ll all collapse on us eventually in the not-so-distant future.

While I briefly mentioned a few of the negative impacts of a changing climate already, it’s necessary that I explain why climate change is even a problem at all. I definitely understand the temptation to brush the issue off as natural and unworthy of public attention. After all, the climate has been changing forever. The natural cycle of the world includes ice ages and hot spells. Why is it some big problem now if it hasn’t been for millions of years prior?

This time, things are different. The rate at which sea levels and temperatures are rising across America is unnaturally quick. Sure, they’ve both steadily risen in the past, but the industrialization of the United Stares has dangerously accelerated that process.

Our usage of fossil fuels is the primarily culprit. Burning gasoline and diesel has depleted the ozone layer, which is a scientific explanation of global warming. Carbon dioxide and other harmful chemicals are released into our atmosphere when factories manufacture goods, when cars start their engines, and when energy producers mine for fuel. Because of how our atmosphere functions, we are essentially sealing ourselves in with toxic gases and reducing our protection from the rays of the sun.

I’ve established that the world is in fact heating up as a result of the actions of Americans. So, what are the implications of a warmer Earth for the United States specifically? Let’s talk about coastlines. The Gulf Coast and the Southeast will face the consequences of rising sea levels before anywhere else in the country. This region of the United States resides at a very low elevation and directly borders the Gulf of Mexico. Residents of the Florida Panhandle and southern Louisiana love their proximity to the beach, but this proximity very well may lead to their downfall. As global warming causes icebergs to melt into the ocean, places situated at low elevations are witnessing the sea creep farther and farther inland. These places experience frequent flooding, and it’s not at all unlikely that they’ll be underwater in decades to come.

Far from the Gulf Coast, California is experiencing problems that are related to those of the American Southeast but manifesting in much different ways. What does that mean? It means that rising sea levels aren’t a direct concern of Californians, but toxic emissions and an increasingly warm atmosphere are presenting the state with other threats.

Take Los Angeles, for instance. Upon hearing the name of the city, your mind probably conjures the iconic Hollywood sign, the Los Angeles Lakers, the entertainment industry, or one of the city’s prestigious universities. Did you happen to think of the thick smog that clouds the air above the city, though? This dark cloud can be attributed to the ridiculously heavy traffic on the roads of Los Angeles. Traffic is something that 99.9% of Americans experience regularly, but few experience it to the degree that residents of Los Angeles do. Sure, the additional time it takes to commute is a major inconvenience, but what’s far worse is the air pollution caused by so many cars running at once. It doesn’t take a genius to be able to tell that visibly dark air is harmful for humans to breathe.

Los Angeles is a densely populated urban area, so it’s no surprise that pollution affects the city. However, pollution isn’t unique to urban California. Wildfires are another relevant news topic related to climate change. The Mediterranean climate of the West Coast is much to blame for the infamous wildfires of California, but the aridity of the state bears a great amount of responsibility as well. California becomes increasingly dry yearly as a result of the burning of fossil fuels by humans.

What can be done to remediate some of the damage caused by humans and to prevent further harm in the future? We need to begin taking green initiatives seriously, specifically regarding energy. I’ve mentioned fossil fuels several times throughout this post because I truly see them as public enemy number one. If we were to make better use of solar, hydro, and wind energy, much of nature would heal and the United States would be less threatened by climate change.