Global Warming

888Have you been hearing about Global Warming?777

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?

Why is this bad for everything that lives on our planet?

The planet needs to stay in balance. That is, there needs to be the right amount of hot and cold, dry and wet, oxygen gas and carbon dioxide gas in order for plants and animals to live here. These are the earth's systems. They need to stay balanced.

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.

Lake Tekapo, shown in this picture, is in the mountain range called The Southern Alps, a few hours' drive from my home. This area could also be affected by Global Warming. If these mountains get too much snow, or not enough snow, year after year, the plants cannot survive.

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.

Kea, Kaka, Kiwi and More

What do kea, kaka and kiwi all have in common?

They are all birds that are indigenous to New Zealand. That means they were one of the first animals here. While some birds have been brought into the country by people, these birds were here even before the first Maori people sailed over from their Polynesian islands.

In North America, we see parrots only as pets in cages. Here they are wild and fly free. In the photo above, a kea is looking for food in the parking lot. A few minutes later he flew onto the roof of my car and I saw his little head upside down out my window! When I didn't open the window, he began pecking on the glass to try to get in. People in the car nearby got out to take pictures of the keas and left their car door open. Big mistake! Just as you would expect, the cheeky kia flew into their car looking for food! It was very funny watching them chase him out! :)

The three keas in this photo are about to get into trouble for pecking on the boat. You can tell they are a type of parrot by looking at the shape of their beak. Look back at the Camouflage Game page to read about more kea antics. Click here to learn more about keas and to hear their parrot voice. What does it remind you of? What do you think it would be like to have one as a pet?!

When my class was research- ing infor- mation about New Zealand as part of a unit on reading non-fiction, they were surprised to read about a New Zealand bird called a kaka. They gave me strict instructions to find one and send back pictures. Here they are!

Unfortunately, there are not many left in the wild, but I was able to see one in an animal conservation park. As you can see, it is also a parrot, and it looks very similar to the kea. It uses its strong beak as a "third leg" to help it climb.

To hear a kaka, click here. To learn more about kaka and to see kaka chicks, click here.

The kiwi is the national bird of New Zealand. How sad that it is now endangered! Click on the picture to get a better view of it. It's well-camouflaged.

There is a very real concern that it may become extinct, so animal conservation parks are breeding kiwis and then letting them go in the wild to see if they can increase the population. I saw this kiwi in a conservation park. It was in a darkened habitat because it is a nocturnal bird. I was surprised to see how large it is. It's as big as a chicken! It uses its exta-long beak to get bugs and worms from the forest floor.

One of the reasons it's almost extinct is that the kiwi cannot fly. It has very small wings for its large body. Although it can run very fast, often it can't get away from its predators - rats, possums, dogs and cats. These predators also eat the kiwi eggs. Click here to learn more about the kiwi and to hear its creaky nighttime call.

Have you ever seen a bird that can fly AND swim underwater? The shag can! I've watched this bird dive right into the ocean and stay under for 18 seconds looking for fish! He can then fly away with his catch.

The Little Blue Penguin can swim, but can't fly. It has flippers instead of wings. It has marrow in its bones, instead of having hollow bones like most birds. This gives him more weight so he can swim deeper in the ocean.

This Little Blue Penguin lives in a conservation park, but others live on islands off the coast of New Zealand and Australia. Look, Chirpy's made a friend!

Other interesting birds found only in New Zealand are

the pukeko,

the takahe,

the weka.

Aren't they strange and wonder- ful? What do they all have in common with the kiwi? They can't fly!

We've seen pukeko and takahe only in conservation parks, but we've seen plenty of weka running across the road. They're too fast to get a picture of them in the wild! I have to show you the photo I took at a conservation park.

Click here to learn more about the pukeko and see its brilliant colors.

Click here to learn more about the takahe and to hear its squeaky cry.

Click here to learn more about the weka and to see a cute picture.

You've probably seen white swans in New York. There are plenty of them at Rockland Lake. Have you ever seen a black swan? In the estuary near our house there are hundreds of them! Aren't they beautiful?

Since New Zealand is made up of two large islands, North Island and South Island, one is never far away from the ocean. That means lots of seagulls! Click on the seagull pictures to see their new friend! :)

Seagulls are very clever birds. When they find a closed shell, they drop it from the air onto the hard sand on the beach. The thump on the beach makes the creature inside let go so the bird can open the shell and eat the creature!

I never used to be very interested in birds, until I met Mrs. Weiss. She was an amazing teacher at Cottage Lane. She was fascinated by birds and would often tell us real stories about birds she had seen or heard about. This got me paying more attention to birds. Once I did, I started to realize how interesting and how clever they are! My life has become more interesting because I have become more interested in another aspect of life, all thanks to Mrs. Weiss. I hope you too will start noticing birds more, and the next time someone tells you you're a "bird brain," say "Thank you!"

Inside a Rainforest

You've probably read about rainforests and how important they are to our planet earth. They have so many plants growing in them that they play an important part in creating oxygen for us to breathe. Plants take in carbon dioxide and "breathe out" oxygen, while people breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Without plants, all animals (including human beings) would die!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take a walk inside a rainforest? Each one is a bit different, of course, depending on what continent it's on, but they all have certain things in common: 1) They are in a very wet climate so they get lots of rain; 2) They are in a moderate climate so they don't get freezing temperatures; 3) The climate is just right for so many plants to grow that you can hardly see the forest floor!

Join me now for a walk through a rainforest in New Zealand, and you'll see what I mean.....

The first thing you notice is the color green, not just one green, but many different greens! Masses of greens everywhere you look - high and low, near and far.

There are so many plants that you can't even see the ground. In some places, you can't see the sky either, because the plants are over you as well as under you. The trees grow extra tall here because of all the rain and the warm climate.

Smaller plants fill in every- where they can, covering every bit of soil. Some plants don't even need the soil. They grow on top of the larger plants! Just look at all of the moss, ferns, and other plants growing on top of this tree trunk.

You also become aware of how soft it is in the rainforest. Does that sound strange? Let me explain. When you walk along the path, instead of walking on hard dirt, as you would in a regular forest, you walk on spongy soil. The dirt is wet from all the rain. It also has leaves that have fallen off nearby plants mixed into the soil, making it feel soft, like a sponge, when you step on it.

Walking on the green moss, that covers most everything, is even softer. It's funny because it's such a tiny plant, but because there is so much of it, it covers everything like a soft, green carpet. Can you see it in the picture? It grows on everything - tree trunks, branches, soil, even rocks.

It's cool and a bit wet in the rainforest. Even on a very hot day, all of the plants keep the air cool and moist. Most of the path is shaded from the sun, with the plants dripping from a recent rain shower keeping the trail muddy.

One of the most abundant plants in the New Zealand rainforest is the fern. That's why it's New Zealand's national symbol. There are many different kinds of ferns here that I've not seen anywhere else. There are even ferns that grow as tall as trees!

It's very peaceful here. The sounds of the rainforest are very soothing: raindrops on leaves, birds singing, a light breeze blowing the upper branches of the trees, the rushing water of a river.

There are many birds in this rain- forest habitat. Can you see why? The trees, bushes, and ferns are used as shelter and as places to hide from predators. They also provide food. The birds eat their nuts, seeds, leaves, and berries. In addition, bugs also use the plants for food, camouflage and shelter, so the forest gives the birds even more to eat - the bugs! Those of you who've studied Ecosystems in fourth grade know what that's called - a food web!

Suspension bridges have been built in a few areas to link the trail on both sides of the river. They are very useful, and lots of fun to walk across. Since they are suspended (hung from metal poles on both ends), they swing freely as you walk across them. It's a good idea to hold on as you walk!

Rainforests are incredibly beautiful habitats for a wide range of animals and plants. The bark, roots, sap and seeds of many of the trees are used to make medicines and other products for people. The plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, allowing animals to live on planet earth. Shouldn't we all help to make sure these habitats continue to grow and thrive?