library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/global_warming.

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Global Warming
What is global warming?
Global warming is when the earth heats up (the temperature rises). It happens when
greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap heat and
light from the sun in the earths atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This hurts
many people, animals, and plants. Many cannot take the change, so they die.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is when the temperature rises because the suns heat and light is
trapped in the earths atmosphere. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a very
hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and
light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows, but it cant get
back out. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth. The heat and light can get
through the atmosphere, but it cant get out. As a result, the temperature rises.
The squiggle lines coming from the sun are visible light and the lines and arrows inside
the car are infrared light.
The suns heat can get into the car through the windows but is then trapped. This makes
what ever the place might be, a greenhouse, a car, a building, or the earths atmosphere,
hotter. This diagram shows the heat coming into a car as visible light (light you can see)
and infrared light (heat). Once the light is inside the car, it is trapped and the heat builds
up, just like it does in the earths atmosphere.
Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us. The greenhouse effect
makes the earth appropriate for people to live on. Without it, the earth would be freezing,
or on the other hand it would be burning hot. It would be freezing at night because the
sun would be down. We would not get the suns heat and light to make the night
somewhat warm. During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning
because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter it, so people, plants, and
animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.
Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it, if there
gets to be too many gases, the earth can get unusually warmer, and many plants, animals,
and people will die. They would die because there would be less food (plants like corn,
wheat, and other vegetables and fruits). This would happen because the plants would not
be able to take the heat. This would cause us to have less food to eat, but it would also
limit the food that animals have. With less food, like grass, for the animals that we need
to survive (like cows) we would even have less food. Gradually, people, plants, and
animals would all die of hunger.

What are greenhouse gasses?

Greenhouse gasses are gasses are in the earths atmosphere that collect heat and light
from the sun. With too many greenhouse gasses in the air, the earths atmosphere will
trap too much heat and the earth will get too hot. As a result people, animals, and plants
would die because the heat would be too strong.
What is global warming doing to the environment?
Global warming is affecting many parts of the world. Global warming makes the sea
rise, and when the sea rises, the water covers many low land islands. This is a big
problem for many of the plants, animals, and people on islands. The water covers the
plants and causes some of them to die. When they die, the animals lose a source of food,
along with their habitat. Although animals have a better ability to adapt to what happens
than plants do, they may die also. When the plants and animals die, people lose two
sources of food, plant food and animal food. They may also lose their homes. As a
result, they would also have to leave the area or die. This would be called a break in the
food chain, or a chain reaction, one thing happening that leads to another and so on.
The oceans are affected by global warming in other ways, as well. Many things that are
happening to the ocean are linked to global warming. One thing that is happening is
warm water, caused from global warming, is harming and killing algae in the ocean.
Algae is a producer that you can see floating on the top of the water. (A producer is
something that makes food for other animals through photosynthesis, like grass.) This
floating green algae is food to many consumers in the ocean. (A consumer is something
that eats the producers.) One kind of a consumer is small fish. There are many others
like crabs, some whales, and many other animals. Fewer algae is a problem because
there is less food for us and many animals in the sea.
Global warming is doing many things to people as well as animals and plants. It is
killing algae, but it is also destroying many huge forests. The pollution that causes global
warming is linked to acid rain. Acid rain gradually destroys almost everything it touches.
Global warming is also causing many more fires that wipe out whole forests. This
happens because global warming can make the earth very hot. In forests, some plants
and trees leaves can be so dry that they catch on fire.
What causes global warming?
Many things cause global warming. One thing that causes global warming is electrical
pollution. Electricity causes pollution in many ways, some worse than others. In most
cases, fossil fuels are burned to create electricity. Fossil fuels are made of dead plants
and animals. Some examples of fossil fuels are oil and petroleum. Many pollutants

(chemicals that pollute the air, water, and land) are sent into the air when fossil fuels are
burned. Some of these chemicals are called greenhouse gasses.
We use these sources of energy much more than the sources that give off less pollution.
Petroleum, one of the sources of energy, is used a lot. It is used for transportation,
making electricity, and making many other things. Although this source of energy gives
off a lot of pollution, it is used for 38% of the United States energy.
Some other examples of using energy and polluting the air are:
Turning on a light
Watching T.V.
Listening to a stereo
Washing or drying clothes
Using a hair dryer
Riding in a car
Heating a meal in the microwave
Using an air conditioner
Playing a video game
Using a dish washer
When you do these things, you are causing more greenhouse gasses to be sent into the air.
Greenhouse gasses are sent into the air because creating the electricity you use to do
these things causes pollution. If you think of how many times a day you do these things,
its a lot. You even have to add in how many other people do these things! That turns out
to be a lot of pollutants going into the air a day because of people like us using electricity.
The least amount of electricity you use, the better.

When we throw our garbage away, the garbage goes to landfills. Landfills are those big
hills that you go by on an expressway that stink. They are full of garbage. The garbage
is then sometimes burned. This sends an enormous amount of greenhouse gasses into the
air and makes global warming worse.
Another thing that makes global warming worse is when people cut down trees. Trees
and other plants collect carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a greenhouse gas.
Carbon dioxide is the air that our body lets out when we breathe. With fewer trees, it is
harder for people to breathe because there is more CO2 in the air, and we dont breathe
CO2, we breathe oxygen. Plants collect the CO2 that we breathe out, and they give back
oxygen that we breathe in. With less trees and other plants, such as algae, there is less air
for us, and more greenhouse gases are sent into the air. This means that it is very
important to protect our trees to stop the greenhouse effect, and also so we can breathe
and live.
This gas, CO2, collects light and heat (radiant energy), produced by the sun, and this
makes the earth warmer. The heat and light from the sun is produced in the center of the
sun. (The sun has layers just like the earth.)
The dirty yellow color on outside is the surface. The light and dark yellow colored area
is the convection zone. The orange colored area is the radiative zone, and the red colored
area is the core. The squiggle lines represent radiant energy.

This layer is called the core. Just like a core of an apple, it is in the middle. Here there is
a very high temperature, about 27,000,000F. This heat escapes out of this layer to the
next layer, the radiative zone. This layer is cooler, about 4,500,000F. Gradually, the
heat and light will pass through the convection zone at a temperature of around
2,000,000F. When it gets to the surface, the temperature is about 10,000F. Finally, the
heat and light is sent into space. This is called radiant energy (heat and light). The
radiant energy reaches the earths atmosphere. As a result of this process we get light and
heat. When you pollute, you send chemicals into the air that destroy our atmosphere, so
more heat and light cannot escape from the earths atmosphere.
What are people doing to stop global warming?
People are doing many things to try to stop global warming. One thing people are doing
is carpooling. Carpooling is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to.
This minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car.
Another thing that people are doing is being more careful about leaving things turned on
like the television, computer, and the lights. A lot of people are taking time away from
the television, and instead, they are spending more time outdoors. This helps our planet
out a lot. Now, more people are even riding busses, walking to school, and riding their

bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air. Planting trees and recycling
also helps. If you recycle, less trash goes to the dump, and less trash gets burned. As a
result, there are fewer greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere.
Watch what you buy. Many things, such as hairspray and deodorant, now are made to
have less of an impact on the atmosphere. Less greenhouse gasses will rise into the air,
and global warming will slow down.
What is the government doing to stop global warming?
The government is doing many things to help stop global warming. The government
made a law called The Clean Air Act so there is less air pollution. Global warming is
making people get very bad illnesses that could make them disabled, very sick, and
sometimes even die. The Clean Air Act is making many companies change their products
to decrease these problems. Part of the law says that you may not put a certain amount of
pollutants in the air. Hairspray and some other products, like foam cups, had this
problem. Making and using these products let out too much volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), ozone-destroying chemicals (chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and related
chemicals (such as CO2) into the air. Now, almost all of these products have a label on
them telling people what this product can do to the environment and many people. By
2015 all products listed on the Clean Air Act will have this label on them:
Almost all of the other chemicals that could be harmful will have this label on them
hopefully by this time (2015) as well.
The Clean Air Act has also made car companies change some of the things inside of the
cars. Cars pollute a lot. While cars make more than half of the worlds smog (visible
pollution in the air), many things that cars need to move and heat up make even more
pollution. Some things that are inside of cars, buses, trucks, and motorcycles, like
gasoline, pollute the air when the fuel is burned. It comes out as a chemical and when
mixed in the air, forms smog. Smog is a kind of pollution that you see in the form of a
cloud. If you have ever been to California you can see a lot of smog in some places.
Sometimes the smog gets so bad that you cannot see at all! Smog forms when car
exhaust, pollution from homes, and pollution from factories mixes in the air and has a
chemical reaction. The suns heat and light add to the reaction.
Cars, buses, and trucks are also responsible for over 50% of dangerous chemicals let into
the air. Some of these chemicals can cause cancer, birth defects, trouble breathing, brain
and nerve damage, lung injures, and burning eyes. Some of the pollutants are so harmful
that they can even cause death.
What are some of the other dangerous chemicals?
Some other chemicals that cause air pollution and are bad for the environment and people
are:

Ozone- Ozone is produced when other pollution chemicals combine. It is the basic
element of smog. It causes many different kinds of health issues dealing with the lungs.
It can damage plants and limit sight. It can also cause a lot of property damage.

VOCs (volatile organic compounds, smog formers)- VOCs are let into the air when fuel
is burned. This chemical can cause cancer. It can also harm plants.
NOx (nitrogen dioxide)- This chemical forms smog. It is also formed by burning sources
of energy, like gas, coal, and oil, and by cars. This chemical causes problems in the
respiratory system (including the lungs). It causes acid rain, and it can damage trees.
This chemical can eat away buildings and statues.
CO (carbon monoxide)- The source of this chemical is burning sources of energy. It
causes blood vessel problems and respiratory failures.
PM-10 (particulate matter)- The source of this chemical is plowing and burning down
fields. It can cause death and lung damage. It can make it hard for people to breathe.
The smoke, soot, ash, and dust formed by this chemical can make many cities dirty.
Sulfur Dioxide- This chemical is produced by making paper and metals. This chemical
can cause permanent lung damage. It can cause acid rain which kills trees and damages
building and statues.
Lead- This chemical is in paint, leaded gasoline, smelters, and in lead storage batteries. It
can cause many brain and nerve damages and digestive problems.
To help more kids better understand global warming, we collaborated with Nickelodeon
to research children's and parents' attitudes and behaviors toward the environment.
Nickelodeon is using the information for an interactive campaign called The Big Green
Help.
There's a lot you can learn about global warming. To help, this page provides answers to
six key questions about global warming, how it occurs, and how you can help to stop the
process. For more tips on actions people can take, visit our What You Can Do page.
You can also explore other kid-oriented sites from the list on this page.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint:

At Home
In the Garden
On the Move
At the Store
At the Curb

With Your Voice

Additional Resources
Earth Day 2009

Key Questions

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Do scientists agree about global warming?

What is causing global warming?
What is the difference between "global warming" and "climate change?"
What will happen if global warming continues?
What is being done about global warming?
What can I do about global warming?

Do scientists agree about global warming?

Scientists who study the climate are still arguing about how fast the earth is warming and
how much it will warm, but they do agree that the earth is warming and that it will keep
warming if we dont do anything about it.
What is causing global warming?
Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal cause greenhouse gases to
escape into the air and that these gases are causing most of the warming. Another cause is
deforestation (cutting down trees). Trees soak up carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse
gases, from the air.
What is the difference between "global warming" and "climate change?"
"Global warming" refers to the increase of the Earth's average surface temperature, due to
a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. "Climate change" is a broader term

that refers to long-term changes in climate, including average temperature

and precipitation.
What will happen if global warming continues?
There are already some changes happening because of global warming. Sea level is rising
and some animals are already moving to new homes. Its already too late to stop global
warming completely.
If the warming gets worse, as scientists expect, there may be some kinds of plants and
animals that become extinct (disappear completely) because they cant move to new
homes. There may be more storms and floods. Sea level may rise so much that people
have to move away from the coasts. Some areas may become too dry for farming.
What is being done about global warming?
Global warming is a very difficult problem to fix. People are having a hard time agreeing
on what to do about it. For example, everyone agrees that wasting energy is a bad thing to
do. But some people think that the federal government should make laws about it, while
other people think it should be up to each person or business to decide what to do.
Many states and businesses in the United States are not waiting until the federal
government decides what to do. They have already started working on the problem.
What can I do about global warming?
You dont have to wait until you are grown to do something about global warming.
Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels is causing global warming. Since these
fuels are burned for energy, and everyone uses energy, everyone can help stop global
warming just by using less energy.
Think about the things you do each day that use energy. The lights in your house use
electricity. The TV and computer use electricity. The washing machine, dishwasher and
dryer all use gas or electricity. Every time you ride in your car, it uses gasoline.

There are some simple things that you can do to help stop global warming:

Wait until you have a lot of clothes to wash before using the washing machine. Dont use
the machine for one item just because its your favorite shirt.

Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Use fluorescent bulbs in your room.

Turn off your computer or the TV when youre not using it. Unplug chargers when not in
use.

Close the blinds on a hot day if the sun is shining in. Dress lightly instead of
turning up the air conditioning. Or use a fan.

Dress warmly inside your house when its cold, instead of turning up the heat.

Bike or walk short distances instead of asking for a ride in a car.

Plant a tree.

Take shorter showers. Heating water uses energy.

Learn more about global warming so you can talk to people about it. See: Could it really
happen?
For more tips, click here.

Global Warming is Hot Stuff!

Global warming is a hot topic (no pun intended). The Earth is warming up.
While that may be hard to believe in the middle of a Wisconsin winter, if it's
true it could mean big changes for our planet. For more info on this topic,
browse on!
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse gases
What might happen if Earth heats up?
Global warming: It's more than just a game of up-and-down on a
thermometer.
YOU can help slow global warming!
Glossary

How do you keep a whole planet warm?

Light from the sun warms land, water, and air. In turn, the warmed-up land,
water, and air give off heat, which rises up toward the sky. Gases in the
Earth's atmosphere capture some of that heat and prevent it from escaping
into space. This heat trap keeps the ground, oceans and air at fairly stable,
predictable temperatures -- warm enough to allow thousands of plant and
animal species (including humans, like us) to thrive.
Without heat trapping, the earth's surface would be about 60 degrees
Fahrenheit colder than it is now. If you're living in a place like Wisconsin,
that means you'd have to wear boots and a heavy coat in July. BRRRRR! (We

won't even talk about January!) The earth's overall temperature has
changed often across the eras -- the long periods of time we use to
measure the Earth's age. We know this because paleontologists have
studied the fossils of plants and animals, and because geologists can read
the earth's history in rocks and soil. In hotter eras, dinosaurs clomped
across warm green landscapes filled with plants. In colder eras, the wooly
mammoth survived in rugged terrain of ice and snow.
For the past 10,000 years, the earth has had relatively stable temperatures.
But, for the past 150 years or so, scientists have noticed the Earth is
warming up more than usual. This phenomenon is called global warming.
Back to the top

What is the greenhouse effect?

You now know the Earth's surface and atmosphere stay warm when gases in
the air trap heat from the sun. Have you ever been inside a greenhouse, the
all-glass buildings where plants are grown? They're very warm, because the
glass walls allow the sun's rays in but prevent the heat from getting out.
Think of the earth as being inside a giant greenhouse. The gases act like a
greenhouse's glass walls -- they keep heat from escaping into space, and the
earth stays warm.
Try this easy experiment: Take two jars and put a teaspoon of water in each
jar. Put a lid on just one jar. Place both jars in a sunny spot. After a few
hours, check on the jars. You'll see that the open jar hasn't changed, but
the closed jar will be steamy and hot inside. What happened? The heat from
the sun could not escape from the closed jar.
Back to the top

The greenhouse gases

The main gases that cause the greenhouse effect are:

water vapor

carbon dioxide, or CO2

methane
nitrous oxide

Some "greenhouse gases" occur naturally in the Earth's atmosphere. But

scientists measuring the gases say that the amount of gases in the
atmosphere has increased in the past few decades. For instance, the amount
of CO2 in the atmosphere is 30 percent greater than what it was 150 years
ago. Scientists believe CO2 levels will rise another 30 percent during the
next 50 years.
Many scientists expect the increase in greenhouses gases will raise the
average global temperature of the planet by 2 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit over
the next 50 to 100 years.
Most of the increase is due to human activities, like:

burning gasoline to drive cars and trucks

burning oil, coal or wood to produce electricity
for heating, cooling, and burning forests to clear land.

All these activities, and many others, release greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere. With greater amounts of greenhouse gases in the air, more
heat will be trapped, and the Earth will get warmer...and warmer...and
warmer.
Back to the top

What might happen if the Earth heats up?

If Earth gets hotter, some of the following changes might occur:

New coastlines would have to be drawn on maps! Because water

expands as it is heated, ocean levels around the world would rise.
Cities on coasts would flood.
Temperate places that now receive frequent rain and snowfall (like
Wisconsin) might have their precipitation patterns change. Some
places may become hotter and drier. In these places, inland lakes and
rivers would get shallower. Forest fires could occur more often.

Frequent periods of drought would make it hard to raise crops for

food. There would be less water available for drinking, showers,
irrigation, even swimming pools! But other places may receive the same
amount of water but in fewer, more intense storms, leading to cycles
of flooding and storm damage followed by dry spells.
Plants and animals unable to take the heat or adjust to the changes
could go extinct and be replaced by heat-tolerant species.
Hurricanes, tornadoes and other storms caused by changes in heat
and water evaporation might occur more frequently and be more
intense.

Back to the top

Global warming: It is more than just a game of

up-and-down on a thermometer.
There's a lot of debate going on about global warming. Some scientists say
it's nature's way -- something that has happened in the past and will likely
occur again. Others say global warming is occurring faster because of human
beings and that human beings can stop it, or slow it, if they so choose.
One thing is certain: We do not yet know enough about how Earth works to
accurately predict what the increase in greenhouse gases caused by humans
will do to the planet. The relationships among land, water, air, plants and
animals do not follow a simple pattern, where one action automatically leads
to the same result.
For instance, an increase in carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas) may
warm the Earth, and with the greater warmth more trees might grow. Trees
absorb carbon dioxide to make wood and grow larger. With more CO2
captured in trees and less CO2 in the atmosphere to hold in heat, the Earth
would cool down. Right? On the other hand, trees are also very good at
trapping the sun's heat. So with more trees, the Earth would get warmer.
Right?
We really don't know for sure. After all, the Earth is a big place -- a place
that's worthy of your attention and study. Perhaps someday you'll unlock yet
another of Earth's secrets.

YOU can help slow global warming!

Just because we're not absolutely certain of how more greenhouse gases will
affect the Earth doesn't mean we should sit back and do nothing.
Besides increasing greenhouse gases, burning too much gasoline and other
fossil fuels creates air pollution and wastes energy. Who wants to breathe
bad air, or always look up at a dirty sky?
You can help slow global warming by:

Walking, riding your bicycle, or taking the bus instead of always going
by car.
Not wasting electricity (turn off the lights, the radio, the TV and the
computer when you're not using them).
Reducing, reusing or recycling all kinds of items, from soda pop cans to
clothes, to save energy and raw materials.

Glossary

Era: The longest division of geologic time, measured in millions of

years.
Fossil fuels: A fuel such as oil, which comes from decomposed living
matter from another geologic era.
Geologist: Someone who studies the origin and structure of the Earth.
Greenhouse: A glass-enclosed building used to raise plants that need
controlled temperatures and humidity.
Greenhouse gases: Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. They
include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide.
Paleontologist: Someone who studies fossils, such as skeletons or leaf
imprints.

Back to Our Earth.

Speech: Global Warming

Global warming is a hot topic because the Earth is warming up in actual.

While that may be hard to believe in the middle of a winter, but if it's true
it could mean big changes for our planet.
Light from the sun warms land, water, and air. In turn, the warmed-up land,
water, and air give off heat, which rises up toward the sky. Gases in the
Earth's atmosphere capture some of that heat and prevent it from escaping
into space. The gases act like a greenhouse's glass walls -- they keep heat
from escaping into space. So that the earth stays warm enough to allow
thousands of plant and animal species (including humans, like us) to the
Earth's surface and atmosphere stay warm when gases in the air trap heat
from the sun. The main gases that cause the greenhouse effect are:

water vapor
carbon dioxide, or CO2
methane
nitrous oxide

Scientists expect the increase in greenhouses gases are causing most of the
warming. will raise the global temperature in the coming years.
Most of the increase is due to human activities, like:

burning the burning of fuels like oil gasoline and coal to drive cars and
trucks
burning oil, coal or wood to produce electricity
deforestation (burning forests cutting down trees to clear land. Trees soak up
carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases, from the air.

All these activities, and many others, release greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere. With greater amounts of greenhouse gases in the air, more
heat will be trapped, and the Earth will get warmer...and warmer... If Earth
gets hotter, some of the following changes might occur:

If Earth gets hotter, some of the following changes might occur because of
global warming:

As water expands as it is heated sea levels around the world would

rise. Cities on coasts would flood. Some places may receive frequent
rain and snowfall
more intense storms, leading to cycles of flooding and hurricanes,
tornadoes

Some places may become hotter and drier. In these places, inland lakes and
rivers would get shallower. Frequent periods of drought would make it hard
to raise crops for food. become too dry for farming.

There would be less water available for drinking and showers even
swimming pools

Plants and animals unable to take the heat or adjust to the changes
could (disappear completely) because they cant move to new homes.

There are some simple things that you can do to help stop global warming
Think about the things you can do to help slow global warming by:

Walking, riding your bicycle, or taking the bus instead of always going
by car. Every time you ride in your car, it uses gasoline.

Bike or walk short distances instead of asking for a ride in a car

Not wasting electricity (turn off the lights, the radio, the TV and the
computer when you're not using them).
Reducing, reusing or recycling all kinds of items, from soda pop cans to
clothes, to save energy and raw materials.

Plant a tree.

Planting trees to help absorb excess CO2, and to provide shade and windbreaks to
keep buildings at more even temperatures so they will require less energy for
heating or cooling.

each day use less energy. The lights in your house use electricity. The TV and computer
use electricity. The washing machine, dishwasher and dryer all use gas or electricity.
Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Use energy savers in your room.
Turn off your computer or the TV when youre not using it. Unplug chargers when not in
use.
Wait until you have a lot of clothes to wash before using the washing machine. Dont use
the machine for one item just because its your favorite shirt.
Take shorter showers. Heating water uses energy.
on a hot day Close the blinds , dress lightly instead of turning up the air conditioning. Or
use a fan.
when its cold Dress warmly inside your house, instead of turning up the heater