devastating changes to our environment.)
Yeah, that is global warming. And as I said, it’s because of carbon dioxide. Every day you go
to the school by something – by car, by bus or whatever, but if not anyway you can see a lot of
cars in the streets. You look at them without a thought that they produce 28% of that carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere. Other 36% of carbon dioxide is produced from fossil fuel burning,
industry produces 23%, and the remaining 13% is residential and commercial heating.
(Sometimes little things can turn into big things. Think about brushing your teeth. If you
don't brush for one day, chances are nothing bad will happen. But if you don't brush your teeth
for one month, you may develop a cavity. It's the same thing with global temperatures. If
temperatures rise above normal levels for a few days, it's no big deal – the Earth will stay more
or less the same. But if temperatures continue to rise over a longer period of time, then the Earth
may experience some problems.)
Average global temperature has increased by almost 1°C over the past century; scientists
expect the average global temperature to increase an additional 2 to 6ºC over the next one
hundred years. (This may not sound like much, but it could change the Earth's climate as never
before.)
It is important to understand that scientists don't know for sure what climate change will
bring. Some changes brought about by climate change will be good. If you live in a very cool
climate, warmer temperatures might be welcome. People in the area may be able to grow more
food and may have enough to eat. But it is also true that changes in some places will not be very
good at all:
-
Climate change may alter the world's habitants and ecosystems. A rapid change in
climate could upset this balance and seriously endanger many living things, because
plants and animals may not be able to react quickly enough to survive. (The ocean's
ecosystems also could be affected for the same reasons.)
-
Global warming may make the sea level become higher because, warmer weather makes
glaciers melt. Warmer temperatures also make water expand. Sea level may rise between
10 cm and 90 cm.
-
Climate change might bring droughts to other places where we grow crops. In some parts
of the world, people may not have enough to eat because they cannot grow the food that
they need.
-
Climate change may affect people's health both directly and indirectly. For example, heat
stress and other heat related health problems are caused directly by very warm
temperatures and high humidity. Untreated, heat stress can be a very serious medical
problem. Indirectly, ecological disturbances, air pollution, changes in food and water
supplies, and coastal flooding are all examples of possible impacts that might affect
human health.
- And finally – global warming may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme
weather events, such as , , , , and . And as
you can see events like theese last few years have been more and more often.
Well, I think that you all have a question now – „Can we stop global warming and how
can we do this?” And the answer is...
Yes! We can change this situation.
- When do you send greenhouse gases into the air?
Whenever you ...
So, I can say one thing – economize electric energy!
-
Try to use cars less, I mean, try to use less fuel! For example, four people can ride
together in one car instead of driving four cars to work.
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Talk with your family and friends about climate change. Let them know what you've
learned.
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Plant Trees! It’s fun and a great way to reduce greenhouse gases. Trees absorb
carbon dioxide, and greenhouse gas, from the air.
-
Buy recyclable products instead of non-recyclable ones!
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(Solar energy can be used to heat homes, buildings, water, and to make electricity.
Take advantage of the sun's energy!)
Remember - living is good, living green - even better!
