Global warming is one of the most dangerous challenges that all mankind has faced. Its multiple effects will cause disruptions to everything from natural habitat to drinking water and food supplies. And what is even more dangerous, it will lead to some of the most powerful natural disasters ever known to mankind.

In 2004, the Tsunami in Asia showed an act of ruthless nature. Less than a year later, on every continent in the United States, Hurricane Katrina dealt a blow of equal magnitude. Both disasters caused a massive humanitarian crisis, affecting millions of thousands of lives. This may not have been directly caused by global warming, but it certainly paints a picture of things to come.

In India, the speed of cyclones in the Andhra Pradesh region has jumped from an average of 150 kilometers per hour to 250 kph in just six years. And while some cities are at risk of being flattened, others are at risk of drying up.

Global warming will make parts of the world very fertile for a period of time, but simultaneously, it will also cause droughts in other parts. Scientists have estimated that up to half a million people in Asia could starve to death in the next 30 to 40 years at this rate.

But it’s not just these devastating disasters that hint at what’s happening to our climate. Summers are getting hotter each year, and this winter ski resorts in Central America, Europe, and the United States lost business because it hadn’t snowed like it used to, not even last year! For the first time in more than a hundred years, Central Park in New York saw no snow in December 2006.

With global warming, “extreme weather” or “freak weather” is becoming a part of everyday life. Only June and July have seen massive flooding in the UK and parts of the US, while in other parts of the US the heat has sparked dangerous wildfires. And this week, the West Coast is expected to hit triple-digit temperatures!

There is little argument that global warming is real and causing changes in our weather pattern. Every week, scientists find more disturbing and surprising evidence to support this fact. And the scientific community is trying everything from simple steps to reduce carbon emissions en masse, to designing colossal artificial air purifiers for Earth. This time, it’s for the good of our planet.