A balmy January, brought to you by global warming

I am sitting on the beach barefoot in January watching a friend surf. I am not in Florida, or southern California. I am in New Jersey.

Everyone I meet has a large smile on their face and as they walk by, perhaps even a comment on the "beautiful weather." The weather is beautiful, I don't deny, but not natural. No one seems to be concerned with the why. Even the New York news anchors are smiling away, not questioning what I think should be a major news flash.

Why is it 70 degrees in New Jersey in January?

The effects of global warming are very evident, look around, I have new growth in my garden for Pete's sake - it's not lovely, it's alarming.

The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it's already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence. The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.

In coastal communities such as ours, we should be especially concerned. Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide. That's us folks.

By burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and temperatures are rising.

These four things that will not take much effort at all can make a major change:

Most emissions from homes are from the fossil fuels burned to generate electricity and heat. By using energy more efficiently at home, you can reduce your emissions and lower your energy bills by more than 30 percent. Turn off unnecessary lights, if you are not using it, shut it off.

Be sure you're recycling at home You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates - www.earth911.org can help you find recycling resources in your area.

Plant a tree. A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15 percent. The www.arborday.org Web site of the Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.

Eat less meat. Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath. I'm not asking everyone to be vegetarian, but cutting meat out of your diet for a day or two of the week will help.

There is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact, we have a moral obligation to do so. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big differences in helping to stop global warming. The time to come together to solve this problem is now. Educate yourself; there are plenty of resources on the web.

Yes, 68 degrees is beautiful in January, just not in New Jersey.

Vanessa Van Noy

Sea Bright