Difficulty:
Easy
Average Score:
80%
1. As knowledge of climate change has expanded, so has the vocabulary surrounding the issue. Some key terms include greenhouse gas, fossil fuel, and carbon footprint. Understanding these terms can help us to recognize how changes in human activity can slow down climate change
2. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides resources on its website to help citizens better understand climate change. Most people already know that the energy provided by the sun is key to life on earth. Greenhouse gases are substances that affect the way the earth either absorbs or reflects this energy. Water vapor and carbon dioxide are two examples of greenhouse gases. These gases absorb and hold some of the sun's energy, warming the planet like a "blanket" (Basics of Climate Change, 2023). This effect is similar to the way a greenhouse traps heat to support plant life, hence the term greenhouse effect
3. Greenhouse gases are important to regulating the earth's temperature and making the planet warm enough to sustain life. Natural occurrences such as plant and animal respiration, oceanic activity, and erupting volcanoes have always released greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide When humans began extracting and burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas during the Industrial Revolution, greenhouse gas emissions rose sharply, upsetting the planet's balance and trapping too much heat. The result has been a sharp increase in the earth's temperature, leading to climate change. According to Dr. Julia Rosen, a geologist and journalist (2021), the average global temperature has risen 2:2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, with the sharpest temperature rise occurring in the last 70 years.
4. Use or plastics, especially single-use plastics, also enlarges the carbon footprint since the production of plastic requires the burning of fossil fuels and significant resulting carbon emissions. The average consumer can reduce their carbon footprint by making small changes such as recycling, reducing dependence on single use plastics, driving a fuel-efficient vehicle with lower emissions, and switching to renewable energy sources such as solar or wind energy.
5. While 2.2 degrees may not seem like much, we are seeing the effects of the earth's warming in the form of melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and severe storms (Rosen, 2021). However, scientists agree that just as human activity caused climate change, so can human activity slow it down. Individuals, corporations, and governments can take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Understanding what contributes to our carbon footprint and taking measures to reduce it are the first steps.
2. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides resources on its website to help citizens better understand climate change. Most people already know that the energy provided by the sun is key to life on earth. Greenhouse gases are substances that affect the way the earth either absorbs or reflects this energy. Water vapor and carbon dioxide are two examples of greenhouse gases. These gases absorb and hold some of the sun's energy, warming the planet like a "blanket" (Basics of Climate Change, 2023). This effect is similar to the way a greenhouse traps heat to support plant life, hence the term greenhouse effect
3. Greenhouse gases are important to regulating the earth's temperature and making the planet warm enough to sustain life. Natural occurrences such as plant and animal respiration, oceanic activity, and erupting volcanoes have always released greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide When humans began extracting and burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas during the Industrial Revolution, greenhouse gas emissions rose sharply, upsetting the planet's balance and trapping too much heat. The result has been a sharp increase in the earth's temperature, leading to climate change. According to Dr. Julia Rosen, a geologist and journalist (2021), the average global temperature has risen 2:2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, with the sharpest temperature rise occurring in the last 70 years.
4. Use or plastics, especially single-use plastics, also enlarges the carbon footprint since the production of plastic requires the burning of fossil fuels and significant resulting carbon emissions. The average consumer can reduce their carbon footprint by making small changes such as recycling, reducing dependence on single use plastics, driving a fuel-efficient vehicle with lower emissions, and switching to renewable energy sources such as solar or wind energy.
5. While 2.2 degrees may not seem like much, we are seeing the effects of the earth's warming in the form of melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and severe storms (Rosen, 2021). However, scientists agree that just as human activity caused climate change, so can human activity slow it down. Individuals, corporations, and governments can take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Understanding what contributes to our carbon footprint and taking measures to reduce it are the first steps.