With these concerns in mind, I paid a visit to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy to see what they are doing to combat global warming. Global warming is, after all, largely caused by the production and use of our choice of energy sources, something the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy knows about. I was also interested to see how the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy works, what techniques it uses, and how I might participate in helping them in their work to solve the problem of global warming.

             Upon entering the headquarters for the Southern Alliance of Clean Energy, I was struck by the number of environmental posters adorning the walls of their reception area. There was no doubt what this organization cares about. There were also pamphlets displayed on nearly every available surface, ranging in scope of topic from global warming to air pollution to water pollution to deforestation. A young receptionist greeted me as I made my way to her small, functional desk (made, I suspected, from recycled materials). She wanted to know how she could help me and I said I was interested in finding out more information about global warming and what the Southern Alliance of Clean Energy was doing to combat it, as well as how I could help. The receptionist handed me a pamphlet to look over and asked me to have a seat and someone would be with me shortly.

             While I waited, I looked over the pamphlet. It was full of some startling facts about global warming. I learned that due to the melting of the polar ice caps, sea levels along the Southeast Coast are rising rapidly, which is a concern for low-lying coastal areas. Catastrophic storms, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, are more likely to occur as the global temperature rises (McKibben, 2005). Tropical diseases and heat-related deaths are likely to increase through global warming. Plant and animal species diversity is likely to decrease through global warming (Little).