It seems as though the threat of global warming is becoming a reality that we just can’t ignore and the consequences may well be impacting our planet already.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D- RI) recently spoke on the floor of the senate, referencing a 2007 report by the National Academy of Sciences, which warned that the reality of global warming is being ignored at our peril.

Senator Whitehouse, “The report is an urgent call to action by a widespread group of our most responsible scientists, peer reviewed by our most responsible universities.”

While it would have been prudent to act sooner, it is still possible to make adjustments in our own lives that can make a difference. It just takes individual effort.

What can you do?

Change out a light bulb: Replacing a regular light bulb with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulb will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 150 pounds per bulb replaced per year.

Drive less: Walk, bike, carpool or take mass transit more often. You will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by one pound for every mile you don’t drive!

Recycle more: You can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by a whopping 2,400 pounds per year by recycling just half of your household waste.

Check your tires: Keep your tires inflated properly and you can improve gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Use less hot water: It takes a lot of energy to heat water and you can reduce your hot water usage by installing a low flow showerhead. This one item can reduce CO2 emissions by 350 pounds per year. Wash your clothes in cold water and you will boost that number to 500 pounds of CO2 kept out of the atmosphere per year.

Avoid products with excessive packaging: If you decrease the amount of trash by just 10 percent, you can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,200 pounds per year.

Adjust your thermostat: Lowering your thermostat by just two degrees in winter and turning it up two degrees in summer could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 2,000 pounds a year.

Plant a tree: A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

Be part of the solution: Learn more and get active. Visit http://www.ClimateCrisis.net.

See the movie: “An Inconvenient Truth” and encourage others to see it, too!

Lissa Coffey is a life coach and author of CLOSURE and the Law of Relationship: Endings as New Beginnings Follow Lissa on twitter.