A new study says that we are past the point of no return with regard to global warming and that even if all greenhouse gas emissions were held at today's levels, there would still be warming temperatures and rising oceans for the next 100 years.

The culprit remains mankind's never-ending desire for fast cars and electricity, not to mention an ever increasing population which places more demands on all human resources.

The study was published in the journal 'Science.' It was conducted by a team of scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research based in Boulder, Colorado. They ran extensive computer models to determine the future effect of global warming even if greenhouse gas emissions held steady or even decreased. Their findings: North American could face excessive heat waves and a possible swarm of crop-eating insects.

Tom Wigley, one of the authors of the study explained the problem by saying, 'If you take your foot off the accelerator, the vehicle doesn't stop; it just keeps going for a while,' he said. 'That's essentially what's happening because of the massive thermal inertia of the ocean.'

The authors of the study hope that the results spur people to action, not to panic. 'Many people don't realize we are committed right now to a significant amount of global warming and sea level rise because of the greenhouse gases we have already put into the atmosphere,' said Gerald Meehl, the author of the study. 'The longer we wait, the more climate change we are committed to in the future.'