In the millions of years that life has existed on the planet, some catastrophic events have caused enormous loss of species. These mass extinctions usually originate from giant meteorites crashing into the planet or a drop in temperature that creates an ice age. In today's world, it is not global cooling that is causing the death of many species, but global warming. Now, the only threat from above is that of a missile with a nuclear warhead attached. If nuclear war does not destroy the planet, numerous conventional wars will soon bankrupt it. If this money were diverted to better uses, perhaps the most dangerous situation facing the planet, economic imbalance, could be corrected. Each of these problems is so enormous in scope that it seems impossible to even make a dent in any of them. Nonetheless, each of these issues is a moral imperative. Each of them must be addressed with our sincerest commitment, otherwise it could spell the end of humanity. Global started as a small statistical problem. Global temperatures have shown minimal increases. Even scientists at the time disagreed on whether or not this was a cause for concern. Now these small anomalies have turned into an extremely strong, upward trend in global temperature. There is no longer any disagreement among scientists. Global warming is now debated only in the political sphere, where facts give way to errant opinions. As politicians debate whether limiting carbon emissions will hurt businesses, the price on Earth begins to rise. The question now is not whether the ice sheet will disappear, but when it will disappear. In many areas, the heat leads to huge amounts of precipitation that cause floods and landslides. While this can cause very visible and drastic displays of nature's fury, there are parts of the... middle of paper... the scale of these tasks seems daunting on a level that none of us can fully understand, this should not discourage us. This is simply because it is on such a massive scale. The power of one cannot even be seen on this scale. Only the movement of the masses can have an impact. Instead of addressing the problems directly by tackling heavy industry or chaining ourselves to a tree, turning the few into the masses is the greatest thing anyone can do to address these problems. Creating lasting and meaningful change can only happen if the entire planet comes together in sync to support these issues. As impossible as it may seem, the world will eventually find itself with its back against the wall. As the planet plunges into danger, the masses must be mobilized to force their governments in the right direction. Works Cited Schell, J. “No More Unto the Breach.” Harper's (March 2009): 33-46.