The Greenhouse Effect and global warming may seem like huge problems that you don't think you can do anything about. However, there are several things you can do to reduce global warming, and you can start by changing some of the habits you've adopted in your own home. Here are some tips that you can your family can start practicing today.

One of the most important things you can do is to cut down on gasoline use. Around twenty pounds of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere every time you use a gallon of gas, and carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases that is toxic for humans if released into the atmosphere in large amounts. So, as much as possible, try to carpool with others in your neighborhood, especially if you work in the same part of time, or have to drop your children off at school at the same time every day. You can also ride a bike, jog, or walk to locations that are close to home, so that you can reduce global warming and get a good workout in the process.

Unplugging electronic items that you're not using is also a great way to reduce global warming. Energy is being used even when your items are on standby or are finished charging, so be sure to take plugs out of the socket when you're not using the outlet. It's also a good idea to get a power strip to plug all your electronic devices into, so that when you're finished using them, you can simply turn the power strip off and save energy.

Even changing your light bulbs can help to reduce global warming. Most people have incandescent bulbs in their homes, and these use a considerable amount of energy and raise electric bill costs. These bulbs use energy to mostly produce heat-only 10 percent of the energy is used as light, which means it will cost more to have these bulbs in the home since they will need to be replaced often. Switching to fluorescent bulbs will help to solve the environmental issue of global warming; while the bulbs may cost more initially, they release more energy as light and do not need to be replaced as often.

Your diet can also make a big difference in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases into the earth. Because meat and dairy manufacturing requires factory energy and electricity, about one and a half tons of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere. Switching to a diet that is richer in fruits, vegetables and whole grains will definitely help to reduce global warming, since less energy will have to be used to package certain foods.

Even though the greenhouse effect and global warming are big issues that affect everyone in the world, there are still things that you and your family can start doing today to make our world safer for everyone.

Greenhouse gas emissions are really nothing new. The creatures of Earth have been producing carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide since the dawn of time. But of course, they haven't always been known as the greenhouse gases, because there hasn't always been enough of them to cause the greenhouse effect. We had to invent the concept to explain what was happening to the Earth's atmosphere. It is this effect that causes concern over greenhouse gas emission, and this effect that means we have got to put into place a plan that will help us deal with the consequences of these greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenhouse gas emissions are essentially waste products. The greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are naturally occurring. They have been on the planet a long time and are part of the natural climate system. Carbon dioxide is produced by the burning of fossil fuels, solid waste and wood. You can see how nature can produce this effect with forest fires, and how primitive man could be considered part of that natural system. However, as our need to burn more and more things grew, so did our not-so-natural production of carbon dioxide. We were on the road to creating the greenhouse effect.

It's the same story with methane. Greenhouse gas emissions increased when we began producing more and more methane, which happens with the production of natural gas, coal and oil, and with the transporting of vast amounts of items. Raising livestock and engaging in industrial activities also contributes to the production of large amounts of methane as well as of nitrous oxide.

It stands to reason that, the more people we have on the planet, the more animals we will raise to feed ourselves. The animals and the people will personally produce vast amounts of green house gas emissions, not to mention all the emissions produced simply by transporting these animals and food products, as well as other items for the consumption of billions and billions of people. Every day. The numbers are mind-boggling.

The greenhouse gases, when produced in excess, float into the atmosphere where they absorb radiant heat. As they get warmer, they don't permit the earth to emit the natural heat that is creates on its own, thus causing the core temperature of the earth to rise as well as the atmospheric temperature. The results can be seen in the melting glaciers and the increase in severe tropical weather that has been so prevalent in recent years. By accumulating so much greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, we have essentially created a giant solar oven around the planet. It's only a matter of time until things begin to boil.

If you said the phrase -greenhouse gas emissions- fifty years ago, no one would have known what you were talking about. People knew about carbon dioxide and methane and other naturally occurring gases, but it never would have occurred to them to call them the greenhouse gases. The greenhouse effect is a term that we were forced to make up to describe what was happening to the planet as we began to produce so many of these gases that the earth couldn't process them all. As automobiles and industry continue to pump the greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the excess gas that isn't consumed and processed by plants just hangs around and absorbs heat.

Greenhouse gas emission represent waste. They are the result or the by product of something. Carbon dioxide is the by product of people breathing. Carbon monoxide is the by product of combustion engines like the one that runs your car. Methane is produced naturally by rotting vegetation and, believe it or not, by the solid waste of all kinds of animals. These make up just a few of the greenhouse gases. While some are not a big deal when they occur in moderate amounts, the massive accumulation of them in the atmosphere is what is causing the problem.

It's the same story with methane. Greenhouse gas emissions increased when we began producing more and more methane, which happens with the production of natural gas, coal and oil, and with the transporting of vast amounts of items. Raising livestock and engaging in industrial activities also contributes to the production of large amounts of methane as well as of nitrous oxide.

It stands to reason that, the more people we have on the planet, the more animals we will raise to feed ourselves. The animals and the people will personally produce vast amounts of green house gas emissions, not to mention all the emissions produced simply by transporting these animals and food products, as well as other items for the consumption of billions and billions of people. Every day. The numbers are mind-boggling.

Greenhouse gas emissions, if left unchecked, will change the face of the planet. Every kind of life form will need to adapt in order to thrive in the new climate system that we will be facing. Plant life will never be the same and pieces of earth that haven't been out from under the ice in millions of years will be exposed. Every aspect of the planet will change, and it has already begun. The greenhouse gases are accumulating in such massive quantities in the atmosphere that, even if we completely eliminated the industrial production of emissions tomorrow, it would still take years for the ecosystem to regain its balance.

Unfortunately, there is no way to completely reduce greenhouse gas overnight. There are options though that will gradually reduce emissions and as a result, lower the amount of greenhouse gas that is heating up our planet. We must be open to alternative forms of energy, solar is one kind, and be willing to sacrifice some of the established ways of doing things that we have become accustomed to. If we are willing to speak up and let our leaders know that we are concerned about these issues, then we can begin to make changes.

To reduce greenhouse gas, we must reduce emissions from the vast numbers of automobiles that we have on the road today, not to mention trucks, factories and all forms of machinery. Automobiles, of course, are the most prevalent. Why, then, aren't we powering them with a cleaner kind of energy, solar for instance? The reason is big business.

It may seem like a monumental task that we'll never be able to attain, but the effort to reduce greenhouse gas will make a difference. Even if we can't reverse the damage that has been done, we can work hard to reduce emissions now and stop the damage in its tracks. For every person who realized the importance of alternative energy sources and chooses to reduce the size of their gaseous footprint, we've taken one step closer to eliminating the greenhouse effect. It may be slow, but progress will be made. It's up to each one of us to make changes ourselves, and to educate those around us to the danger.

Using different kinds of energy, solar for instance, to power our vehicles and our houses will go a long way toward cleaning up the environment. But if we are to reduce emissions significantly, we really need to reduce the number of cars on the road. That's difficult to do, since our cities have developed in such a way so that a person can't live an independent life unless he has his own car. You can't even have one or two cars per family anymore-if there are six people living in a house, chances are, there are six automobiles there. Many people can't even get to work without a car. We can't reduce greenhouse gas significantly until we get to the root of the problem.

So in order to significantly reduce greenhouse gas, we will need to change the infrastructure of our entire society. We have to take care of the corporations, as silly as that sounds, but they are the ones making the automobiles. They aren't just going to go away quietly or lose millions just to make a cleaner car. They do things the way they do them because it's cheaper. One solution is to have the government step in with new regulations and force them to-but they won't because big business donates big bucks. So it's a problem. But it's more of a political problem than a resource issue. We have the wherewithal-we just need the will.