The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued it's most severe warning yet. Last week, the IPCC released it's newest report, which says that global warming is threatening our very survival. Although most developed countries are taking action on climate change, many developing nations are using more fossil fuels as they industrialize.

The IPCC report states, “Continued emission of greenhouse gasses will cause further warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of severe, pervasive, and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems.” In other words, they're not only warning of hotter temperatures, the world's leading scientists say that global warming may soon bring food shortages, refugee crises, and mass extinctions.

In order to meet the international goal – keeping our planet from warming another 2 degrees Celsius – the IPCC says governments must limit emissions to 1 trillion tons of carbon dioxide. At the rate we're burning fossil fuels, our planet would reach that limit within 30 years, but governments are not doing enough to make the switch to green energy within that time.

Here in the US, we have many lawmakers who refuse to admit that global warming is even an issue, and the fossil fuel industry just helped more science-deniers get elections. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said, “Science has spoken. There is no ambiguity in their message. Leaders must act. Time is not on our side.” We must do everything we can to protect the one planet we call home – the survival of our species depends on it.