π Topic Summary
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas), which produces heat-trapping greenhouse gases. Understanding the causes and effects of climate change is essential for developing solutions to mitigate its impact on our planet.
π§ͺ Part A: Vocabulary
Match the terms with their definitions:
| Term |
Definition |
| 1. Greenhouse Effect |
A. Gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat. |
| 2. Carbon Footprint |
B. A measure of the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, organization, event or product. |
| 3. Fossil Fuels |
C. The trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet's surface. |
| 4. Renewable Energy |
D. Energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat. |
| 5. Greenhouse Gases |
E. A natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms. |
Match the letters to the numbers:
1: C, 2: B, 3: E, 4: D, 5: A
π Part B: Fill in the Blanks
Complete the paragraph using the following words: deforestation, global warming, sea levels, climate change, extreme weather.
__________ is a significant long-term alteration of regional or global weather patterns. Primarily, it is a result of increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. This contributes to __________, which causes rising __________ and more frequent __________, such as hurricanes and droughts. Furthermore, __________ exacerbates the issue by reducing the number of trees available to absorb carbon dioxide.
Answers: Climate change, global warming, sea levels, extreme weather, deforestation
π Part C: Critical Thinking
Discuss three specific actions that your school could take to reduce its carbon footprint. Explain how each action would contribute to mitigating climate change.