It is a mistake to take seriously many of the most active proponents of theories of global warming. It's also a mistake to embrace all of the criticism of people like Senator James Inhofe.

The world is not coming to end by climate change. Even while the climate is getting warmer, our lives will only be changed slightly. That however does not mean we should ignore the dangers of climate change. We must do something in context to the problem.

The worst case scenario for global climate change shows that world temperature will increase on average by 10°F over the next hundred or so years. Many scientists predict something far less, with the range of change being around one to three degrees.

This difference in real temperature is largely unnoticeable to the average person going to the beach on a summer day, or a nice hike on a fall day. Yet, it may lead to many subtle environmental effects that can have a real effect on our lives.

An increase of 2°F can mean the difference between a serious ice storm in the winter and a wet snow, or the difference between rain and snow. It might mean the water and air is warmer, leading to more lake effect snow, more hurricanes, and more summer storms. The difference may be largely unnoticable, unless your a victim to one of those storms.

Those of us who farm or garden know that a few degrees temperature difference can mean whether a crop dies or survives under a late winter or early fall frost. Frost also determines how many mosquitoes will be bothering us when we go outside. Trees and plants that once flourished in a particular temperature zone might have trouble growing there with a slight temperature change, and new plants might take over for them.

These environmental changes, while subtle are incredibly troubling for environmentalists. They believe that the world as it stands is largely sustainable, and that when man interferes with it the number of diverse species typically declines. The strongest animals and plants that can withstand changes in climate will take over, and in many cases they aren't the ones that humans enjoy. Cute polar bears might die in greater numbers, but annoying mosquitoes and hardy poison ivy embrace climate change.

Most of these changes are unavoidable. We have built our society on the mass consumption of energy, which mostly comes from coal and oil, and we will continue to use more coal and oil. Yet, we should be thinking of limiting future increases in the use of fossil fuels, to minimize an acceleration of climate change.

While the world isn't coming to an end by climate change, it will have a negative effect on our environment around us. These changes will be very subtle, but for the observant person we have to be concerned about these impacts. Our environment can not withstand ever increasing consumption of energy, we must limit what we all use collectively. Technology, combined with societal policy choices can do just that.