Climate Change
What do you know about climate change? Fill in the missing words using the table below.
Remember to use the glossary to look up any words in bold.
warming sun melt coal temperature sea digestive system surface billion rainfall
energy-saving trees food factors animals car factories cut down water extreme
What Is Climate Change?
Climate change, or global , is the process of warming
our planet heating up. Scientists have observed that, since
the Industrial Revolution, human activity has caused the
Earth’s surface to heat up by approximately 1°C.
While that might not sound like much, that small rise in temperature
has a big impact for people and wildlife
around the globe.
Unfortunately, rising temperatures don’t just mean that we’ll get nicer weather. The changing
climate will make our weather more extreme and very unpredictable. As temperatures
rise, some areas will get wetter and lots of animals and humans could find they’re not able
to adapt to the changes.
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Climate Change
What Causes Climate Change?
factors
There are many different factors that cause climate change. Below are some of the main
causes.
Burning Fossil Fuels
Industrialised countries, which are countries that have a lot
of machinery and many factories, burn large amounts
of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal The gases from
this process are released into the atmosphere and act like
an invisible blanket, trapping heat from the sun and
warming the Earth. This is known as thesun
‘greenhouse effect’.
Farming
The eating habits of cows are also a factor. Methane is a type
of greenhouse gas and, just like us, when cows eat, it builds
up in their digestive system and is released in the
form of a burp or fart! There are almost 1.5 cows billion
releasing all that gas into the atmosphere, so it really
adds up!
Deforestation
Forests help to absorb the greenhouse gases from the air
Because trees take in carbon dioxide. This means forests
are really effective in preventing climate change. Sadly, many
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Climate Change
rainforests are being cut down for their wood and to clear the way for farmland and roads.
How Is Climate Change Affecting the Planet?
A warmer climate is affecting and could continue to affect our
planet in a number of ways. There will likely be much more rainfall
, which could lead to floods. The extreme rises in
temperature could also lead to droughts and a limited water
supply. Wildlife could also be drastically affected
as the polar ice caps melt , the rainforests are cut down
and the sea levels rise.
What Can We Do to Help Prevent Climate
Change? Small changes in your own home can make a real
difference.
You could try:
• switching to energy saving
- light bulbs;
• walking instead of using the ; car
• turning off electrical items when you’re not using them;
• recycling;
• reducing your food waste.
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Climate Change
Glossary
adapt: To become used to new conditions.
atmosphere: The layer of gas that surrounds Earth.
drought: A long period of very low rainfall, leading to water shortages.
fossil fuels: Fuels that come from old life forms that decomposed over a long period
of time. They are then used as a source of energy.
industrialised: When a country starts to use machines to do work that was once done
by people.
Industrial Revolution: A period, from around 1760 - 1840, of major changes in the way
products are made. Products were no longer being handmade but instead were made in
factories and by machines.
polar ice caps: Sheets of ice found near the North and South Poles.
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Climate Change Answers
What Is Climate Change?
Climate change, or global warming, is the process of our planet heating up. Scientists have
observed that, since the Industrial Revolution, human activity has caused the Earth’s surface
to heat up by approximately 1°C. While that might not sound like much, that small rise in
temperature has a big impact for people and wildlife around the globe.
Unfortunately, rising temperatures don’t just mean that we’ll get nicer weather. The changing
climate will make our weather more extreme and very unpredictable. As temperatures rise,
some areas will get wetter and lots of animals and humans could find they’re not able to
adapt to the changes.
What Causes Climate Change?
There are many different factors that cause climate change. Below are some of the main
causes.
Burning Fossil Fuels
Industrialised countries, which are countries that have a lot of machinery and many
factories, burn large amounts of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal. The gases from this
process are released into the atmosphere and act like an invisible blanket, trapping heat from
the sun and warming the Earth. This is known as the ‘greenhouse effect’.
Farming
The eating habits of cows are also a factor. Methane is a type of greenhouse gas and, just
like us, when cows eat, it builds up in their digestive system and is released in the form of a
burp or fart! There are almost 1.5 billion cows releasing all that gas into the atmosphere, so
it really adds up!
Deforestation
Forests help to absorb the greenhouse gases from the air because trees take in carbon
dioxide. This means forests are really effective in preventing climate change. Sadly, many
rainforests are being cut down for their wood and to clear the way for farmland and roads.
How Is Climate Change Affecting the Planet?
A warmer climate is affecting and could continue to affect our planet in a number of ways.
There will likely be much more rainfall, which could lead to floods. The extreme rises in
temperature could also lead to droughts and a limited water supply. Wildlife could also be
drastically affected as the polar ice caps melt, the rainforests are cut down and the sea
levels rise.
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Climate Change Answers
What Can We Do to Help Prevent Climate Change?
Small changes in your own home can make a real difference. You could try:
• switching to energy-saving light bulbs;
• walking instead of using the car;
• turning off electrical items when you’re not using them;
• recycling;
• reducing your food waste.
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