Dear Armano,

Thank you for your question. It's a really good one. There is no single solution, so let me give you three things that kids can do to help minimize global warming.

1. Conserve energy in your everyday life.
Making simple choices to save energy may help avoid the serious consequences of global warming. For example:

• Turn off the lights.
• Close doors immediately so heat does not escape.
• Take short showers.
• Walk or bike if you can (instead of having your parents drive you).
• Turn off your computer when not in use (don't leave it on just to keep Facebook or Myspace active).

2. Convince the people around you to save energy.
Now, you have to be careful here because people don't like to be told what to do, so convince is the important part. Your parents would be perfect subjects for persuasion, but do it with love and humor. Here are some suggestions that you can provide for your family and friends.

• Replace incandescent with fluorescent lights. (This saves a lot of money!)
• Ask your parents not to leave the car running needlessly, for example, when waiting to pick you up at school.
• Recycle (this saves energy in manufacturing).
• Run the dishwasher and other appliances on energy saver mode.
• Keep the house at 68°F or less. And make sure the heat goes off at night and when everyone is away.
• Start a conservation club at school to raise awareness. Get your fellow students and teachers on board to have the school reduce energy consumption.

In fact, not knowing is one of the problems. Global warming is a significant risk to society. On the one hand, we do not know exactly what will happen. On the other, we realize that what could happen could be serious. And these consequences could affect different parts of the world in different ways.

3. Keep learning.
These ideas all involve conservation. While that's important, what's more important is finding and implementing sources of energy that do not pollute the environment. Who is going to do that? It can be you! So the third and most important thing you can do is get the best education you can get, so that you can be a responsible citizen and continue making good decisions. Maybe you will help find scientific, technological, economic, or political solutions to the present situation.