What is Global Warming?
When scientists use the phrase global warming they are referring to the Earth getting hotter, an increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere is the name given to the gases that surround the Earth. The Earth is warmed naturally by the rays of heat from the sun, which pass through the atmosphere around the Earth. The atmosphere is made up of layers of gases that are like a blanket around the Earth.
Some of the gases around the Earth are greenhouse gases, these are natural gases like water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane. Others greenhouse gases are nitrous oxide, ozone and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The scientists that specialise in the environment are especially concerned about the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are produced from driving cars, making new things in factories, transporting food across the world on planes and ships, and by humans generally living the way we do on Earth. Scientists believe that if we reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we produce then we can help to keep the earth at the best temperature.
The Earth getting warmer has been said to cause problems such as polar caps melting, extreme weather like flooding and hurricanes and the extinction of various animal species.
Everyone is being encouraged to save energy. Not just because it will save us money but also because it can help to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we are producing. Ways to save energy include recycling, turning lights out and not using our cars so much. Recycling means that we don’t need to use energy to make new things again. Old aluminium cans can be recycled into new aluminium cans which uses less energy than making new ones from scratch.
Reducing the amount of energy we use by turning off lights, televisions and computers, having baths instead of showers, using low energy light bulbs and insulating our homes so that we don’t lose heat can all have an effect on the amount of energy we use, known as our energy consumption. Energy costs money so by doing all these things to save energy we can save money too.
Cars, planes, trains, buses and ships all produce greenhouse gases and we are all encouraged to use our cars less, it is also healthier for us to walk or cycle. Walking and cycling don’t produce greenhouse gases.