Have you ever noticed how winters seem a little shorter or summers a little hotter? That’s not your imagination, our planet is actually warming up, and it’s called global warming. It’s a serious issue but understanding what’s happening is the first step to making a difference.
Think of Earth like a giant greenhouse. The atmosphere, a layer of gasses surrounding our planet, traps some of the suns heat, keeping us warm enough to live. This is the natural greenhouse effect, and its a good thing! Without it, Earth would be too cold for us.
The problem is, human activities are making this “greenhouse” too effective we are releasing extra “heat-trapping” gasses, called greenhouse gasses, into the atmosphere, mostly by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas for energy to power our cars, homes, and factories. Cutting down forests also adds to the problem because trees absorb some of these gasses.
So what are these gases? The main culprit is carbon dioxide, but methane and nitrous oxide also play a role. These extra gases trap more heat, causing the Earths average temperature to rise. According to NASA, Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for many decades, mainly due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities.
This warming trend has some serious consequences. But you can help reduce greenhouse gases! According to the UN, you can do this by:
- Saving energy at home.
- Changing your homes source of energy.
- Public transportation, biking, or walking.
- Switching to electric vehicles.
- Reduce, reusing, and recycling.
- Eating more vegetables.
- Planting trees.
I also asked Ms. Mcdermott, a 9th grade science teacher at Douglass, about her opinion on ways that students could reduce greenhouse gases, and she said, “They could be more conscientious of picking up their trash and recycling, and also not charging their devices overnight.” These simple things can help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced.
In conclusion, global warming, driven by human activity, is a very serious threat that requires all of us to cooperate and work together in order to ensure a sustainable future of our planet.