With the problem of global warming becoming more and more evident to the public eye, many countries have decided to take a step to hopefully prevent further destruction and reverse the existing damage that generations previous have inflicted upon the earth. With the information visible and clear to the public eye we as a world have begun to reinvent the way we live and function day to day.

A main international agreement is the Kyoto Protocol. This agreement was instated in 1997, and to date covers more than 160 countries. The treaty will expire in 2012, but talk has begun to prolong the existing treaty. This treaty is responsible for over 55 percent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions. Many countries are taking more individual actions such as limiting the fossil fuel production and use in said country. Many steps have been taken regarding businesses worldwide. There have been efforts to improve the energy efficiency of such buildings and (not as frequently) steps to find alternative energy sources.

As for individual countries, in January 2005 European countries introduced a European Union Emission Trading Scheme. This meant that countries associated directly with the government agreed to “cap” (set an agreed level) to their emissions. Another plan for Europe has been dubbed the “Energy Policy for Europe”. This will entail a mandatory 20 percent cut in emission release. As some scientists state, this would bring levels to a point where temperatures would no longer rise. The government has plans to reduce the levels to an even lower level if other developed countries decide to follow suit. European official’s state “(Europe) cannot solve climate change by itself - We need global action”. By 2020 there are plans to have all coal fired power stations able to capture carbon dioxide emissions. It may also be mandatory for all new stations to incorporate the new, cleaner technology. The benefits of using nuclear energy in Europe have been documented, but due to the price and potential safety issues, that option has been looked away from. By 2020 homes and offices will be constructed in a way that would reduce power consumption. This will save each household between $200 and $1,000 in fuel bills.

In Europe the signs are clear to the extent of damage global warming has all ready inflected upon the continent as a whole. In England there has been a noticeable increase in the number of warm day’s verses cold days. In the Caucasus Mountains in Russia over half of the glacier ice has melted in the past 100 years. In Spain, over half of the glaciers that were in existence in 1980 are now gone. In southeast Europe, in 2000, they experienced the hottest heat wave (111°F) across Turkey, Greece, Romania, Italy, and Bulgaria. Across Germany the average temperatures were more than seven degrees above the normal temperature in 2001. Across all of Europe there have been documented situations involving wildlife. Many animals are being born much earlier then ever before, which has lead to starvation of those animals (their food supply is not around). Many species of plants have been found to have retreated up mountains to survive in cooler environments. Also there have been dramatic increases to the number of forest fires all across Europe.

Australia recently announced its plan to instate a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. This is a cap and trade system (used for the reduction of pollutants) that will serve to improve their competitiveness under an international agreement. There would be mandatory emission cuts to reduce the risk of harmful ecological changes. There would be a higher expense for households to use emission intensive products such as gasoline and electricity. The National Climate Change Adaptation Program will work with “industries, scientific organizations, residents and other governments to create workable solutions”.  Between 2008 and 2012 some $14 million will be put towards the program.

In Australia there is evidence to the global warming issue. Land in American and Western Samoa has experienced a loss of 1.5 feet per year for the past 90 years. Malaria, which once was never found in high elevations, was detected in the highlands of Indonesia is 1997. All across Australia the once beautiful coral reefs have begun bleaching. In 1998, Australia experienced the wettest August on record. In just two days almost 12 inches of rain fell, this was 8 inches more then what the continent experiences that entire month.

In South America the Clean Air Institute is a “non-profit organization whose mission is to improve air quality and fight climate change caused by global warming”. This organization is committed to finding a fix for air pollution, global warming and other public challenges. “The Clean Air Institute will play a pivotal role in helping cities reduce greenhouse gas emissions and clean the air”. The Clean Air Institute continues to have programs related to urban transport, energy, and environment that will help improve the quality of life and environmental issues in South America. The institute will also build public support, and promote partnerships for project developments. Some of the many topics discussed with the institute include better emission controls, improved public transportation, better management of travel demand, improved land use and transportation planning, and promoting bicycle and pedestrian travel.

All across South America since 1985 the shorelines have receded more than 8 feet per year. In Peru the average minimum temperature has increased 3.5 degrees since the 1960s. Glaciers in Patagonia have receded almost a mile in the past 18 years. In 1972 in the Venezuelan Andes six glaciers existed, now only two are still in existence. Within the next 10 years scientists predict these two to also be gone. Disease carrying mosquitoes were once limited to altitudes to 3300 feet, but today they have been found as high as 7200 feet. The change in climate has directly led to the disappearance of 20 species of frogs and toads. In 1998 over 15000 separate forest fires burned destroying 2.2 million acres of land in Nicaragua.

Asia adopted the Kyoto protocol, and in which the protocol states many mandatory and soon to come decisions for the countries. By the year 2012 countries will reduce their collective emissions by 5.2% of the 1990 levels. Each country is committed to a particular figure. The emissions covered by the protocol not only include carbon dioxide, but also methane, nitrous oxide, hydro fluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. Each country must record and meet their commitment.

The Gangorti Glacier in India is retreating 98 feet per year. By the year 2035 scientists predict that all central and eastern Himalayan glaciers will be gone. In May of 2002 in Southern India, a heat wave with temperatures rising to 120 degrees resulted in the highest one-week death toll on record. Rising ocean levels in the Chokoria Sundarbans in Bangladesh have flooded about 18500 acres of mangrove forest during the past three decades. During 1959-1988, 1,081 glaciers in the Pamir-Altai (located in Kyrgyzstan) disappeared. Korea during July and August of 1998 experienced heavy rains and flooding, with daily rainfall totals exceeding 10 inches. Over 4,000 lakes in the Qinghai province have disappeared due to drought.

In the African Climate Solution, Africa hopes to improve Green House effects through reduced deforestation, reforestation, low-impact farming methods and restoration of soil carbon through processes like biochar. Africa hopes to have the support of other developing countries, in participation with this new plan. The African Climate Solution entails the reduction of green house gas emissions by imposing a ban on forest resources and carbon through agriculture, forestry and land use.

On August 6, 1998 in Cairo Egypt, the warmest August temperature on record was 105.8 degrees farenheight. In Southern Africa the average temperature has increased almost 1 degree Farenheight in the past century.  The sea level rise is causing the loss of coastal land at Rufisque, on the South Coast of Senegal. 92 percent of the Lewis Glacier has melted in the last 100 years. 82 percent of Mount Kilmanjaro’s ice has disappeared since 1912, with about one third of it disappearing in the last dozen years. At this rate scientists predict all ice to be gone in about 15 years. In 1997, in a previously never infected area of Kenya, hundreds of people were killed when a deadly malaria outbreak was exposed. Over four million people were affected in 2001 when the worst drought in 60 years reduced the harvest, weakened the livestock, and left many with unsanitary conditions.

The threat to our world is great, and the signs are obvious that we must proceed with caution in the ways we live. The once majestic sights of the world will not be around for generations in the future if our way of living does not improve. There are so many things that each continent could take into act to reduce and reverse existing harm we have caused. One must always remember that these changes cannot occur by the will of one man, but must instead be instated into the lives and homes of every person on this planet.