So is this global warming stuff real? Is our planet really in all the danger that we keep hearing about?

If we had the answer, we'd gladly lay it out for you. A whole host of people much smarter than the rest of us has been debating this topic for decades, and there is no clear-cut conclusion as to the severity of pollution upon our earth.

It does not take a climate scientist, though, to understand that the more you use resources, the less you can rely upon them in the future. Earth's goods are replenishable to a point, but at the rate our population has developed there is very real concern about what is available to future generations.

Look, for instance, at what we are seeing this week in Beijing, where some of the world's worst atmospheric conditions are challenging competitors in the world's largest sporting event, the Olympics. There is no question human activity in the most populated place on earth has given rise to the conditions there.

If you really want to get a better handle on what's going on, here and around our world, we invite you to a global warming meeting at 6:30 tonight (Tuesday) at the National Great Rivers Museum in Alton.

It is no coincidence the event is being held here. Alton Mayor Don Sandidge signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement earlier this year, making the city the first in Metro East to sign on. The pact is somewhat symbolic. The cities that sign on are supposed to do their best to promote green construction and enact policies that encourage protection of public resources.

Tonight, "Climate Change: How Does It Affect Alton?" will emphasize the legislative solutions to climate change featured in the Global Warming Response Act, a bill promoted by the Illinois Climate Action Network, a coalition of environmental, health and faith groups formed in 2007.

Obviously, we cannot lean on elected officials to do our thinking for us. If there are ways to protect our world, it is up to us as individuals to learn about and enact them. The only way to do that is become informed via the mix of opinions out there.

The more knowledge we have the more proactive we will be in doing what we can to save our planet for the children still to come.