The world has the perfect temperature to keep all living things alive. This temperature depends on a balance. The sun’s heat goes to Earth to make it warm and then this heat bounces back to space to make the Earth cool. When this balance is lost, the climate changes.
The Earth’s climate has changed many times before. This is called “natural climate change” and is caused by volcanic eruptions, changes in the sun’s energy and changes in the Earth’s orbit.
Greenhouse gases (Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) also make the Earth warmer. They are like a blanket covering our planet. This started in the 1700s.
-We cut down a lot of trees.
- We build more buildings and roads (the cities are growing larger and larger) and more of the natural environment is becoming farmland. The wild animals are losing their habitat, their home. They are becoming endangered species.
- We burn coal to create electricity.
- We burn oil to make our cars and planes move.
- We use chemicals to make things.
- We burn gas to cook our food.
- We waste food and we dump our rubbish in landfills.
All these actions emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The consequences are catastrophic!
Ice sheets and glaciers are melting, the sea levels are rising, storms are getting stronger, some places are getting drier, the sea is getting warmer and many species of animals are in danger of extinction. All living things are in trouble.
