The planet is warming up fast, which is making many people a little bit worried about what might happen. Scientists have never seen such a fast change in the whole of the Earth’s history and many of them think it is because of the way us humans are acting.
Cars, heating, electricity and most other common things that we have in our lives use energy from fossil fuels. Coal, oil, gas are all common fossil fuels, and when they are burned, they release harmful gases such as carbon dioxide into the air around us. The gases then get trapped in the air and help to keep the sun’s energy in the atmosphere (the blanket of air surrounding the Earth), causing the temperature to get warmer. This is known as the enhanced greenhouse effect, as much like a greenhouse used to keep plants warm, the gases are making our planet warmer than it should be!
This hotter climate can often change the conditions that are found on Earth. The weather patterns may change, which might harm farming as some crops might not like the drier or wetter conditions, meaning that a shortage of food might happen.
Climate change also causes sea level changes to rise, as the ice that is found in the poles begins to melt. This might mean that people would be under threat from issues such as flooding, especially in places that are low- lying.
All of these treats put both animals and humans in danger, as we may not be able to cope well with the changes that might happen if climate change continues. Luckily, there are some things that we can all do to help!
- Turn off all your electronics when you are finished using them. This includes games consoles, TVs, computers and lights!
- Walk or ride your bike rather than getting your family to use the car. Not only is this good for the environment, it is good for you too!
- If you’re cold in winter, put on more clothes rather than turning up the heating. In summer, use a fan instead of air conditioning!
- Reduce, reuse and recycle. By reducing the amount of things you buy, the less you will need to reuse or recycle. When things cannot be reused, simply recycle them!
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