Global Warming
It's big news in New Zealand, in the United States, as well as in most other countries of the world.
888It affects you so you need to know about it.777
2500 scientists from 130 countries have recently completed their report. They have been working together for the past six years to come to this important conclusion:
8888Human activities are causing the earth to get warmer.7777
Why is this important?
What happens if the earth's systems get too unbalanced?
Scientists say that ocean levels will rise. People who live near the ocean will be flooded. This is called "coastal flooding". Click on the photo above to enlarge. This is the town I live in, in New Zealand. See all of the homes that are near the ocean ? They would be ruined by coastal flooding.
Some areas of the world will become hotter and drier. They will have a drought. It is hard to grow crops or raise animals for food for yourself and others if you are in an area that is having a drought for many years.
Some areas will become colder, with more freezing temperatures. Some areas will have more storms and stronger storms.
In other words, we will have climate change. The picture above is one I took when visiting the city of Auckland, on the North Island of New Zealand. Many people would be affected by coastal flooding in this city. Many offices and businesses would be flooded.
Many plants will not be able to grow if the climate changes too much. "Climate" means weather over a long period of time. If plants can't grow because the climate has changed, animals will lose their food and habitat. Many will become extinct.
Beautiful areas throughout New Zealand will change forever if there's too much Global Warming. Many areas around the world would change.
...What's the good news?...
The good news is that people can help keep the earth's systems in balance. Earth's hot and cold, and dry and wet, are kept balanced by the amount of carbon dioxide gas there is in the air and the oceans. Having too much or too little gets all of the systems out of balance. I took this picture from the deck of my house. If you enlarge the picture you can see the ocean just beyond the houses.
How do we keep the amount of carbon dioxide balanced?
The carbon dioxide has gotten out of balance, and continues to get worse. People have created too much air pollution. The air pollution has carbon dioxide in it. The good news is that if we cut back on air pollution we cut back on the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. This will help carbon dioxide get back in balance!
How do we stop creating so much air pollution?
Cars, planes and factories are the biggest causes of air pollution. They burn gas and coal to run, and this causes air pollution.
However, they also use filters to trap some of the pollution. Using better filters will trap even more of the pollution before it goes into the air. Using cars and factories that burn products other than gas and coal, that don't create air pollution, will help the environment. Using solar power, water power, or wind power (instead of coal or gas) to make electricity will help a lot.
888What can a kid do to help the planet?777
lRide with a friend so fewer cars are used.
lRecycle products, so fewer new products need to be made in factories.
lUse only the electricity and water you need, and don't waste.
lTalk to grown-ups about Global Warming and the future of our planet. They can vote for people who will set up laws to protect our environment. Remind them that it's important to you and your future children.
88Working together, we can keep our planet a beautiful place to live for plants and animals and us!77
Click here to see animated movies about Global Warming.
Click here to play Climate Change games.
Click here to read more about Climate Change.
Click here to go to Recycle City and see how the townspeople are taking care of the environment.
Click here to see the EcoKids' club house and play environmental games.
Click comments below to share one thing you've learned about, or wonder about, Global Warming or Climate Change.
9 Comments:
i hate global warming, those poor helpless polar bears in the warm climate with ice melting it's not the greatest place for the Arctic.
from olivia
Hello
Just like Olivia, i hate globol warming. Beautiful animals will become extinct because of us
: (
I have a conection on getting warm in places that are not supposed to be warm. I went to Colorado for winter break and when I skied, I was sweating! The locol people said this was unusual.
-Meghan
Hello again!
Our block is already helping out!
We carpool to our religion class every monday. The school help too! More buses less air polution!!
-Meghan
Meghan and Olivia, you make good points. We don't know if the strange weather this year is just a one year phenomenon, only time will tell. However, it is worrying to think that we'll have more strange weather patterns if we continue to fill the atmosphere with carbon dioxide.
Scientists have seen this trend (change in weather pattern) since the Industrial Revolution. This was when factories and cars were first invented and more carbon dioxide began entering the atmosphere.
I like your idea of carpooling, Meghan. That definitely helps. The kids here in New Zealand are also looking for ways to pollute less.
Ms. C-B
Hi there. I enjoyed this blog entry. I'm wondering what New Zealanders are thinking and/or doing about Global Warming. Is it a topic discussed much there? What do people say about it?
Mr. T.
Yes, Mr. T, Global Warming is talked about a lot here in New Zealand. Most every day there is an article about it in the newspaper, and there is often a segment about it in the news on TV. People are concerned not only about the rise in sea level, but also the spreading of more diseases as the climate warms.
Helen Clark is the leader of New Zealand. She is trying to get laws put into place that will make people cut back on the amount of carbon dioxide they put into the air (from cars, factories, airplanes, etc.). This will help slow down Global Warming.
Also, New Zealand has joined many other countries that are working together to cut back on carbon dioxide and other gases that create Global Warming. They believe that working together they can get more done to help planet earth. They made this agreement when they met together in Kyoto, Japan, so they call it the Kyoto Accord.
My Kiwi students would like to know what the American students are doing to help slow down Global Warming.
Ms. C-B
Hello!!!
I am very excited about seeing you Ms. Chrisie-Blick! As you know our class is taking a camera and you ar too so we can talk and answer questions! Well, see you on Thursday!!!! (New York time)
-Meghan
Hey!!!!! Having fun? I hope so. I think we should do more to help globol warming. Like we could walk places that are in resone instead of driving. We could also try to stop all of the smoke that comes out of the buildings. Lets get to work!
-jaclyn
Great ideas, Jaclyn! Factory owners could do more to screen out more of the pollution their factories spew into the air and the water. It will cost them money, so they won't do it unless the public pressures them into it.
Car companies are starting to make cars that use less gasoline and create less pollution. They are called hybrid cars. I'm going to look into buying one when I return to the US.
Ms. C-B
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