It is winter here in New York City. Just went out to take some pictures, but instead of snow and ice, all I captured were signs of spring. It really seems like any normalcy in our weather is quickly becoming an enigma.

In 2004, the US set a record for number of tornadoes and as the oceans became hotter the storms got more destructive and frequent. In 2005, unforgiving Katrina exposed our level of procrastination and unpreparedness. In 2002, over 7 million acres burned in wild fires in the Western US.

In Alaska and British Columbia, 14 million acres of spruce trees were destroyed by beetles normally deterred by longer, colder winters. Drastically receding glaciers will soon result in water shortages for 40% of the world’s population.

Higher ocean temperatures are turning coral reefs into bleached skeletons. Around Florida, the acidification of ocean water from extra carbon dioxide caused a recent explosion of algae bloom which in turn kills off most life in these areas. The spreading of West Nile virus across America and migration of mosquitoes to higher elevations is also due to increased global warmth.

The population of Emperor penguins, so endeared in March of the Penguins and Happy Feet, has decreased by 70% due to the loss of ice. Polar bears are drowning and risk extinction because they’re forced to swim longer distances in search of ice sheets and have less time to hunt, eat and store fat.

US alone is the highest contributor to global warming in the world with 30.3%, surpassing all of Europe’s contribution by 3.6%. Extinction, drought, wildfires, floods, deadly heat waves, hurricanes, and sea levels rising… all these events have grown in number and intensity across the world. Our planet is not well and once we admit it, we must take action to fix it.

Just recently a 41 square mile ice shelf broke off into the ocean in the Canadian Arctic. Scientists believe that the warmer temperatures were the cause for this incident and see it as a sign of accelerated climate change. As the ice sheets melt, raising ocean levels, coastal cities like New York may face flooding and become uninhabitable. Residents in the Pacific Islands have already been evacuated. The rapidly melting ice can also redirect ocean currents which would then drastically alter climate around the world. Last time this happened it resulted in an ice age.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), composed of the top scientists from about 100 countries, worked for years to understand this global climate change. In 2001, their report has clearly described that "there is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities."

IPCC projects that the resulting effects on our environment could be very dangerous. The increase in heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, will cause further changes in Earth's weather patterns, throwing them and all life that relies on them into turmoil. IPCC is currently working on an updated report to be released in 2007.

Earth's ecosystems today are already directly affected by the changing weather through eroded coastlines, damaged wetlands and polar ecosystems, strained agriculture, increased spread of disease carrying insects and rodents, broken food chains and extinction. All species are interdependent. Once a link in the food chain is broken many food webs may be destroyed and all life will be changed adversely.

It seems clear that we should eliminate human activities that cause global warming when we know that our inaction will be disastrous. Below are 10 easy actions each of us can take to make a difference.

1. Choose organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables require only 5% of the raw materials and 0.5% of water needed to produce meat. Organic soil also captures and stores more carbon dioxide than soil in conventional farming, another reason to go organic! Switching to a vegan diet can translate to reducing emission by 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide per year, per person! Also buy fresh, as frozen foods take much more energy.

2. Write your state and city representatives to sign a similar bill to that in California setting limits on global warming pollution. Urge them to raise fuel economy standards and promote alternative transportation.

3. Ride a bicycle and urge your local schools, businesses, gym and place of worship to install bike racks.

4. Save energy by unplugging your electronics when not in use, switching to compact fluorescent bulbs, and using efficient appliances with the Energy Star logo.

5. Consume less products, buying things that are durable, manufactured locally and packaged without excess waste. Consuming paper from trees is especially costly in energy, pollution and deforestation. Remember to recycle or donate products you don't use.

6. Use mass transit, reduce airplane travel, and if you still must drive, choose a highly fuel efficient car, drive below 60 mph, and regularly maintain it, checking that tires are at proper pressure.

7. Conserve hot water with low-flow shower heads, by installing a programmable thermostat to heat the house, insulating your windows and doors in an apartment or walls and ceiling in a house, using warm or cold settings for laundry, and washing dishes by hand.

8. Invest in the renewable energy market. Check with your utility company on their sources of power and if given a choice of energy provider, choose one that uses alternative nonpolluting sources but not nuclear energy which does create many other environmental and health risks.

9. Plant a tree. It is the best way to help remove carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere.

10. Learn more about the importance of this issue and share what you learn with your family and friends.

Links to more information about global warming and how to take action:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/default.asp
http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,,1267004,00.html
http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/solutions/now.asp
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_takeaction.asp