I'm not normally one to be a sanctimonious environmentalist prick...

And nor do intend to start being so, however revising for one of my end of semester exams has really stimulated the old grey cells, I don't consider what I say here to qualify me as a tree-hugger because I'm not entirely concerned about the environment, whatever humans do, however many species we take down on the way, however much we pollute the earth will keep on spinning, hell full blown nuclear apocalypse won't destroy all life. The Earth will always recover. So when people say they want to save the environment, it's BS, they want to save their environment, those of us concerned about global warming, reducing our 'carbon footprint' and generally jumping on the climate change band wagon aren't saving the planet, we're saving ourselves. Humanity can kill itself off quite happily, the Earth will recover.

So that's where I stand, to save society as we know it we have to change, because it is fact that emissions of carbon-dioxide, sulphur-dioxide, nitrous-oxides and high-altitude water vapour are increasing rapidly. Let's not point fingers, we're all guilty, no-one is free from blame, no matter how many trees they plant, no matter how many carbon trusts they pump money into to try and stave off the feelings of guilt.

What's to be done? If we act now, we'll have to spend roughly 2% of global GDP (Gross Domestic Product), act in another 50 years and we'll have to spend about 20% of global GDP. We need to invest in renewable + nuclear energy and more efficient energy usage both on a personal and national scale.

And if we don't act? The economic effects of global warming are down-played, at a base level crops fail, at a higher level buisness centres are flooded by sea-level rise. In the worst case scenario (which is looming fast as green house gas emissions continue to increase unabated) we will see economic privations similar to those seen in the Great Wars and during the Wall Street Crash. Lest we forget that in World War One without rationing Britain came within three weeks of starvation.
These privations and strains on human society do not take into account reduction in rainfall at mid-latitudes, nor the migration of tropical diseases northwards and southwards into populations which have no resistance, malarial migration is a certainty. While reduction in rainfall between 15-20% over the United States will see the entire continent closely resembling the Nevada desert.

If you managed to read all that well done!

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