At the event, which was the third in a 7-part series, Schnoor began by providing statistics on the effects of greenhouse gas emissions via man-made fuel sources. "Our emissions are out of control, and we don't have a good plan for how to rein them in," he said, according to Iowa City Press Citizen.

While the overall global average sea surface temperature has increased 1.4 degrees F in the past 150 years, climatologists are more worried about the ability of those increasing temperatures to increase extreme weather conditions, Schnoor continued. For every low temperature record that's set, seven high temperature records also are set, he added.

Schnoor continued by saying that the federal government has almost been ignoring this issue, even though it is personally responsible for nearly one-third of the total amount of climate-changing greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere over time. And while significant progress has been made to reduce extreme poverty on a global scale, as climate change increasingly affects crop yields and creates extreme weather conditions (e.g. droughts), hunger will become an even bigger issue.

When asked what people can do to help out now, Schnoor suggested promoting sustainable farming practices, increasing access to agricultural technology, facilitating tree planting, and adapting to climate change.