Global Warming, Global Concern

The world is getting warmer. It has warmed by half a degree centigrade over the past 100 years. But why? And how? Well, scientists are not exactly sure. The Earth could get warmer by itself, without help from people. Many climate scientists think there is another reason for the change in temperature. They think that human activities like cutting down the trees, producing trash, and burning fuels like coal and oil are helping make the Earth warmer. Just because the weather has been hot for a month or two does not mean that global warming has arrived. But scientists think that as we use more gasoline and electricity, the Earth is going to get warmer. They believe that we know enough about the problem to take some action.

Greenhouse Effect, Climate Change, and Global Warming

The Greenhouse Effect: Scientists are sure about the greenhouse effect. They know that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane make the Earth warmer. They do so by trapping heat in the atmosphere.
Climate Change: Climate is the average of a region’s weather over a period of time. For example, it is possible that a winter day in a city could be sunny and mild, but the average weather tells us that its winters will mainly be cold and include snow and rain. Climate change is a change in these general weather patterns. They can become warmer or colder; amounts of rainfall or snowfall can increase or decrease each year.

Global Warming: Global warming is the average increase in the Earth’s temperature, which then causes changes in climate. A warmer Earth may have results such as changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea levels, and different effects on plants, wildlife, and humans. When scientists talk about climate change, they are concerned about global warming caused by human activities.

Why should we care?
Global warming brings with it no guarantees. We don’t know exactly what will happen what the effects will be nor do we know exactly where or when they will make problems. But it should be said that scientists have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen. Scientists and researchers from different fields tell us that the possible effects of climate change could be big and, in some cases, would cause serious problems. Among the possible effects are increased number of human deaths, extinction of groups of animals and plants, and a dangerous rise in sea levels. With this in mind, we have to think of the costs of action and weigh them against the risks of inaction.

We can make a difference!
Global warming may be a big problem, but there are many little things we can do to make a difference. If we try, most of us can do our part to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we put into the atmosphere. Many greenhouse gases coming from things we do every day trap energy in the atmosphere and make the Earth warmer. The following is a list of what we can do and think about.

Some things we can do:
1. Read about the importance of the environment.
2. Save electricity.
3. Ride a bicycle, take a bus, or walk.
4. Plant trees.
5. Talk to your family and friends about global warming.
6. Recycle cans, bottles, plastic bags, and newspapers.
7. Buy things that don’t use much energy.

Some things we can think about:
1. Solar energy- energy that comes from the sun can be used to heat homes, buildings, water, and to make electricity.
2. Cars cause pollution and release many greenhouse gases into the air.
Driving cars that use less fuel can help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.