We really do live in a fascinating time. Future generations could look at this era in the same way we do at the period between the Dark Ages and the Renaissance, or the Enlightened Era and the Industrial Revolution. It is conceivable to think that future generations will call our current time, the transition period between the Era of Fossil Fuels and the Era of Renewable Energy.

However, for us currently living in that era, it is anything but an easy transition. On the one side you have those who deny that global warming is actually happening. On the other side you have those who believe global warming is here to stay. This division has also created two different types of solutions for global warming; the quick-fix and the long-term. The quick-fix solution is one that acts as a band-aid to the problem. Selling hybrids, while it does help, is such a solution. It does not ween us off of fossil fuels, but instead only uses slightly less fossil fuels. With this quick-fix solution, both the car and oil companies win. Quick-fix solutions are very common in the United States and Canada. Even China's decision to ban driving on certain days depending on what a car's license plate ends in, can be termed a quick-fix.

In contrast, a long-term solution is one that tries to change the energy habits of an entire nation or continent. These include putting taxes on driving anything that could be deemed a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Long-term solutions include putting down guidelines and goals for a country's renewable resources. Pushing to move away from fossil fuels towards wind and solar energy is a long-term solution. Countries that recognize the fact that the sun emits enough energy on Earth in one year to power our civilization for thousands of years will be the ones that have the best long-term success.

It is very unfortunate that our world has to be split on an issue that could threaten our very survival. Instead of choosing to accept the reality that is before us, we want to give ourselves another option, the option of 'it may not be happening' because it gives us a peace of mind that we like. The truth is that thousands of scientists around the world have come to the conclusion that the world is getting warmer and humans are a direct cause of it. The time for quick-fix solutions is gone, and the time for long-term solutions is needed. The government of Canada and the United States think that a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will cut it, but they could not be more wrong.