It's crucial we talk about global warming and understand our effects on the environment now more than ever.

With a president-elect that once, despite all scientific evidence, declared global warming was a Chinese hoax, it's important to inform yourself about what exactly global warming is.

So, what is it exactly?

Global warming is the gradual heating of Earth's surface, oceans and atmosphere.

Basically, the planet's climate (its weather conditions) constantly changes over time. The earth has gone through warming periods before. But over the last 50 years, the amount of warming happening is occurring quicker than it ever has in the past.

Many scientists worry it's happening more rapidly because of the human species and how we live every day.

OK, so then where's the evidence?

The effects of this rapid warming can be seen in many places. One example is the Greenland Ice Sheet, which has been experiencing record melting in the last several years. Data gathered from satellites over the last couple decades show an increase in sea levels.

This is why it's imperative that we understand our effect on the environment. Many of the things we do regularly as we go about our daily lives have massive effects on the earth.

For example, flying really hurts the planet. A round trip from London to Miami has the same effect as one year's worth of driving.

For those of you who are frequent fliers, try to take a car whenever the trip is doable. Flying for 12 hours is literally the same as 12 months of driving. That's scary stuff.

Stopping global warming seems daunting (sometimes we have no real alternative to flying), but there are also some seriously simple adjustments you can make in your daily life to lessen your impact on the environment.

To learn what those things are, watch the video above.

For more Elite Daily original videos, subscribe to the official Elite Daily YouTube Channel and like the official Elite Daily Facebook Page.