Everybody has heard or used the terms "global warming" or "climate change", but I don't think everyone understands it because if it were the case, then ALL of us humans would be concerned enough to do our share of helping the environment. Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. A warmer Earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. Simply explained, it is when the earth heats up. Climate change on the other hand represents a change in these long-term weather patterns. Based on the change, climates can become warmer or colder. Annual amounts of rainfall or snowfall can increase or decrease. These happen when greenhouse gases GHGs (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, ozone, and methane) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth's atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This process is the fundamental cause of "greenhouse effect" and there are two kinds of "greenhouse effect". There is a "natural" greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth's climate warm and habitable. There is also the "man-made" greenhouse effect, which is the enhancement of Earth's natural greenhouse effect by the addition of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels (mainly petroleum, coal, and natural gas).

　One of the first things scientists learned is that there are several greenhouse gases responsible for warming, and humans emit them in a variety of ways. Most come from the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity production. The gas responsible for the most warming is carbon dioxide, also called CO2. Other contributors include methane released from landfills and agriculture (especially from the digestive systems of grazing animals), nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration and industrial processes, and the loss of forests that would otherwise store CO2.
Carbon Dioxide from Power Plants - carbon dioxide emissions stem from the burning of fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation. Coal accounts for 93 percent of the emissions from the electric utility industry.

　Carbon Dioxide Emitted from Transportations - carbon dioxide emissions comes from the burning of gasoline in internal-combustion engines of land and air transportation. Drivers waste millions of gallons of gas annually while just sitting in traffic. Those millions of gallons of gas produce around x1.25 tons of carbon dioxide.
Methane - Methane is derived from sources such as rice paddies, bovine flatulence, bacteria in bogs and fossil fuel production.
Nitrous oxide - Man-made sources of nitrous oxide include nylon and nitric acid production, the use of fertilizers in agriculture, cars with catalytic converters and the burning of organic matter.

　Deforestation - (NASA Web Site) Deforestation is responsible for 25% of all carbon emissions entering the atmosphere, by the burning and cutting of about 34 million acres of trees each year. We are losing millions of acres of rainforests annually, the equivalent in area to the size of Italy. The destroying of tropical forests alone is throwing hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. We are also losing temperate forests. The temperate forests of the world account for an absorption rate of 2 billion tons of carbon annually.
Ozone Depletion - Ozone in the lower atmosphere is an air pollutant with harmful effects on the respiratory systems of animals and will burn sensitive plants. Chlorine and bromine released from man-made compounds such as CFCs are now accepted as the main cause of this depletion.

　Aside from global warming, pollution affects humans, animals, plants and the environment as well. There is no doubt that excessive levels of all types of pollution are causing a lot of damage to human & animal health, plants & trees including tropical rainforests, as well as the wider environment. Its effect on living organisms may range from mild discomforts to serious diseases, physical disabilities to psychological and behavioral disorders, and even death.

　Global warming and pollution hurt many people, animals, plants and the environment. Many cannot take the change, so they die. Therefore, these two will have implications for the enjoyment of our basic human rights - the right to an environment of a particular quality, the right to life, the right to adequate food, the right to water, the right to health, and the right to human security.

　In my opinion, ignorance, irresponsibility, selfishness, lack of awareness, lack of discipline, poor education, insufficient information, poor governance, and zero implementation are the root causes of everything that has gone wrong with our environment. Remember, "We reap what we sow"... our actions towards the environment impact our lives. That is why we should start saving our environment now and it should begin with 'YOU and 'ME'. Start practicing environment-friendly habits and influence your family, your relatives, your friends and your neighbors, and eventually, it will reach your community and the community at large. A small step by each of us can make a huge leap towards saving the Earth and there's still plenty we can do.

　Start at home. Here are some simple actions you can take to help reduce global warming and your budget as well.