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Middle school Earth and space science - NGSS
Earth's changing climate
Review your understanding of climate change in this free article aligned to NGSS standards.
Key points
- Earth’s average temperature is rising, causing long-term shifts in global weather patterns. This is known as climate change.
- Climate change is caused mainly by greenhouse gas emissions. A greenhouse gas is a gas that traps heat in Earth’s atmosphere. While greenhouse gases are naturally occurring, human activities have added too much of these gases to the atmosphere.
- The main greenhouse gas contributing to climate change is carbon dioxide (
). Most emissions are produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. - To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we need to both reduce
emissions and remove excess from the atmosphere. This will require action from all parts of society, from individuals to governments.
Want to join the conversation?
- why not getrdof power plant(3 votes)
- If we got rid of every power plant all at once, millions who rely on that power to survive wouldn't have it any anymore! We wouldn't be able to survive. Also, there are several jobs that power plants provide. If they shut down immediately, a lot of people would be without work, and then the economy would be impacted too. There are just too many people relying on them for us to just get rid of them. It's better to switch to windmills and solar panels, but gradually, so that we humans can still survive, while at the same time slowly using less and less of these harmful power plants.(37 votes)
- These kinds of things make me afraid to have kids because i dont want them breathing dirty air and becoming sick, how do i reassure myself from this stressful situation and how do i as an individual reduce the CO2 in the air?(9 votes)
- You can try to reduce the time you spend driving in your car, because cars run off of gas, which is basically fossil fuel, and when you drive your car releases co2 from the exhaust. You should try riding a bike or taking walks and/or jogs. You can also help reduce the amount of co2 by recycling.(5 votes)
- I kinda wanna see what the earth would be like when global warming happens. Not that i WANT natural disasters or droughts to happen- i just think it would be really cool if the ocean rises because then people would ride boats everywhere and maybe have boat houses and since all most of the lights are way underwater or broken we could see the stars wayyyyyyy better and it would be like one of those space pictures from the internet that would be so cool!I know it would also be bad but people have been taking control of the earth and doing terrible things to the earth so i think it would be good for the earth to get higher oceans because people would stop burning as much stuff and using a ton of eleturicity and since valcano's would erupt i think in like maybe 100,000 - 10 million years the earth could get new continents, But i also know that it might be bad for the earth because it would mess up the animals habitats and animals wouldn't have enough food or they couldn't get the food they normally have and a ton of things would go into danger or extinction but i'm pretty sure the fish would be okay- but anyway whatever happens i'm gonna see it through >:O(9 votes)
- but why not just use nohas ark(1 vote)
- So if we stop burning fossil fuels and instead use solar panels for electricity and instead of cars, bicycles, and other vehicles that don't need fuel and eat healthier diets this world would be healthier.(6 votes)
- We should make green houses for less poutioln right?(4 votes)
- Greenhouses are not the problem, but you could start by using less electricity. So turn off lights when you leave a room, use less extension cord and the like. Take small steps is what my motto is.(6 votes)
- What is the purpose of power plants using fossil fuels? Can't They just use basic electricity and use energy given off from the Sun?(5 votes)
- What could we do as a society do to limit climate change.(5 votes)
- Eat less meat and dairy
Avoiding meat and dairy products is one of the biggest ways to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. Studies suggest that a high-fibre, plant-based diet is also better for your health, and replacing meat with protein-rich pulses can also be cost-effective: so a triple win.(2 votes)
- I don't get how climate change can cause more rain and storms. I understand that the poles will melt, but how does more water in the ocean correspond with more rain and thunderstorms?(4 votes)
- there will be more water in the ocean there for more water for the sun to evaporate and turn in to clouds
more clouds = more chance of a thunder storm(4 votes)
- Can we decrease the amount of CO2, by planting trees ?(3 votes)
- In theory, yes. But when trees and other plants "breathe," some of the CO2 isn't filtered through and used for photosynthesis.(5 votes)
- What are some alternatives to greenhouse gases?(5 votes)