On Friday, June 26, 2009, The House of Representatives will vote on a clean energy and global warming bill entitled, The American Clean Energy and Security Act, H.R. 2454. This bill will begin to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help restore balance to the global environmental issues we are facing today.

Part of this bill will make those industries polluting the environment pay for the cost of spewing excessive carbon into the air. This bill will also help create industries that will revolve around a clean energy concept. If the bill passes, it will also help to safeguard natural resources, wild lands, plants and animals impacted by the threat of global warming.

There are obstacles in the way, however. The coal industries are gearing up for the fight. They are sending their influential lobbyists to Capitol Hill in an effort to stall or squash the efforts of those wanting a cleaner world.

According to reports by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the time is now to enact legislation that will stop and hopefully reverse the upward spiral of CO2 levels in our atmosphere. This group is especially interested in how global environmental changes will effect the United States. By their estimations, the current levels of CO2 in the air is 385 ppm (parts per million). They would like to see this number fall to 350 ppm or lower in order to stop what they feel will be severe and widespread natural catastrophes throughout our country.

All ready we know of these things which are being linked to global warming:

• coral reefs are dying
• sea life communities are dwindling and vanishing
• deserts are drier and hotter than ever before
• animals of the arctic are beginning to starve
• wildfires are more prevalent
• pests are more numerous
• invasive weeds are running rampant
• polar bears are drowning from lack of available sea ice
• walrus' are also drowning
• hurricanes are stronger and more numerous
• 33 million acres of forest are effected by hotter, drier conditions

These are some of the things that have been attributed to global warming.

Things we may have not consider are the effects global warming will have on our own health and natural resources. Take water for example. When the earth heats, we, along with animals and birds, need more to drink. Crops also rely on water to grow and prosper.

When the air is hotter, and there is less rain, we will begin to have issues with water consumption. Some areas like parts of California all ready experience times when water use is restricted. For many of us, we have no concept of what this restriction means. We simply go to the tap, turn on the faucet, and the wonderful life sustaining liquid pours into our sinks, into our cups and into our swimming pools.

But if we have less rain, we ultimately have less water. More heat means quicker evaporation and less water retention in the ground. The plants can't get enough to grow, animals can't find watering holes, and we are left with less to survive on.

Even though you may think that the fate of animals such as penguins and polar bears do not really affect you, think about the impact these animals' lives, and deaths, have on us.

The walrus is a species being effected by the earth's heating. Recently, according to the National Wildlife Federation, scientists saw nine walrus pups stranded in deep water. The young appeared to be stranded out at sea due to the ice melting beneath them.

Walrus pups are born on ice. With the decline of available and stable ice patches, pups are suffering the consequences. Mother walrus' are now beginning to go ashore in order to give birth and raise their young. The shore lines are now becoming crowded, leaving the pups vulnerable to death by trampling.

You may think that this is too far away and that the fate of these creatures does not really matter. But if we think about it closely, we know that when a species is jeopardized in this fashion, by warmer temperatures, it will ultimately effect our lives as well. More environmental warming means more floods, hurricanes and coastal storm surges. These animals, along with countless others, are illuminating the effects of what global warming will mean to us.

Of course, we can still help push the fight in the right direction. If we urge our representatives to support clean air and clean energy, we will be headed towards a brighter future.

Will there be sacrifices? Yes.

Will it be easy to reverse all of the environmental damage that has all ready been done? No.

Can we actually change the course of nature and help her regain her sense of equilibrium? Hopefully.

But we can't do it alone. Even if America makes great strides in environmental efforts, other countries must follow. We must all realize that clean air, and cleaner ways to produce energy is really in every one's favor. Tomorrow we can start, if we make the plea today.