Most scientists agree our climate is changing – they may not agree on the causes for that change – but most concur that global warming is real. Essentially, too much heat remains in the earth’s atmosphere.
The main culprit for that heat retention is carbon dioxide, a byproduct of combustion. The coal, oil, natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, and wood we burn emit carbon dioxide. Of course, we have used these materials and have emitted carbon dioxide for millennium. What makes our actions different now is the magnitude of our emissions and their cumulative effect on our atmosphere.
Trees and other vegetation have always helped (and will continue to help) process carbon dioxide and release oxygen, however, our continuous use of fuels, demand for wood to make paper, furniture, and houses, and clearing of land to make way for agriculture exceed our planet’s “natural” pace to consume carbon dioxide.
Carbon neutral is the term coined to rebalance our consumption. You can calculate the carbon you use, and then purchase credits from companies that invest in clean energy projects. These “carbon neutral” companies pool resources to invest in large-scale development of projects such as wind power, solar power, or land preservation to help our planet heal.
Mind you a quid-pro-quo attitude is not enough to “fix” our addiction to combustion-production. That’s where actions such as installing solar panels come in. The more all of us choose less energy producing products and activities (like Energy Star appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and high gas-mileage cars, to name just a few) the more hopeful we can all be that our lifestyles we so enjoy will not wreak total havoc on our environment.