The most valuable natural resources we have at our disposal during our brief lives are the Earth and the Sun. And if we want life on Earth to continue as we know it, we have to avoid destroying our own natural environment. The big questions are whether we're actually damaging it to the point of devastating destruction, and if so, what we need to do to fix it. 

One of the things we've measured reasonably well -- at, for instance, weather stations all across the world -- is the global average temperature since the late 19th century. Have a look.

When you are done reading Ethan Siegel's outstanding piece, check out:

Arctic Ice November 2010
Carbon Dioxide Is The 'Control Knob' Of Earth's Greenhouse Effect
Do You Believe In Global Warming? ClimateGate Revisited - Again
Interview With A Global Warming Skeptic: Dr. Roy Spencer
What Is A Tipping Point?
Low Solar Activity Won't Slow Climate Change, Study Says
Climate Change: See For Yourself
James Randi, Global Warming And The Meaning Of Skepticism
The Origin Of Global Warming By Means Of Molecular Selection
The Solar Cycle Global Climate Link Is Tough To Deny
Holy Shrinking Sheep! Global Warming More Powerful Than Natural Selection, Say Researchers
Climate Change Modeling Complication - Ocean Circulation Does Not Work As Expected
Arctic Sea Ice - Is It Getting Thinner Or Not?
Climate Scientist Consensus - Global Warming Is Real (Other Scientists, Not So Much)
Cosmic Rays Not The Source Of Global Warming - Study
Global Warming Projections Overestimated, Says Black Carbon Study
Yayyy Bad Weather: The Carbon Sequestration Benefit Of Typhoons
How To Fight Global Warming If We Don't Understand The Impact Of Global Forests On Climate Change
Will Carbon Emissions Be Irrelevant To Future Climate Change?
Remember That '140 Liters Of Water In My Cup Of Coffee' Theory? Here's Why Virtual Water Is Bogus
Can More Physicists And Fewer Politicans Resolve The Global Warming Debate?
Who's 'Greener', Democrats Or Republicans?
North Atlantic Oscillation Explains The Inconsistency Of Global Warming, Say Oceanographers
Calibrating Global Warming Research: A New Yardstick For Accuracy Is Needed
Next Global Warming Threat: Laughing Gas ( It's Not A Joke )
Strange Climate Math - Driving Is Better For Pollution Than Walking
Can We Build A Better Global Warming Model?