YOUR ENGLISH MUST BE IMPROVED IMMEDIATELY WITH THIS VIDEO Learn English Through Story Level 2
chapter 1
the earth’s climate
many scientists talk about climate
change
they even predict the next end of the
world
there are serious consequences for the
planet
people are frightened
but how bad is it really
mark twain once said that a lot of
people talk about the weather but no one
can say anything really important about
for the past hundred years humanity has
been talking about the changes in the
weather
about storms hurricanes heat waves and
floods
each country has its own troubles
today the earth’s climate has a huge
effect on the daily lives of all the
people in the world
it has always had a big effect on life
on earth and it had a big effect on how
life started billions of years ago
so what is climate
climate is the usual weather in a place
over a long time normally 30 years or
more
weather can change quickly and a place
can have very different weather from one
day to the next
but climate is those weather patterns
over a long time
on earth lots of things have an effect
on the climate the atmosphere the oceans
the land ice people plants and animals
and the light and heat from the sun the
earth’s atmosphere is a thin layer of
gases above the earth
the earth’s atmosphere
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most of the atmosphere is nitrogen and
oxygen but there are other gases in the
atmosphere too
some of the gases in the atmosphere are
called greenhouse gases because like the
glass in a greenhouse they keep the
earth warm
they do this by stopping some of the
sun’s heat from leaving the earth
they are very important because they
help to keep the earth at the right
temperature for life to grow not too hot
and not too cold
carbon dioxide is a very important
greenhouse gas
without the greenhouse gases the earth
would be very very cold
many scientists study the earth’s
atmosphere
they do this from satellites and from
the land and the studies show that the
amount of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere is growing
this is making the temperature on earth
get warmer and this warming is having a
big effect on the climate
we are already seeing the effects of
this all over the world
weather patterns are changing
the water in the oceans is getting
warmer snow and ice are melting in the
arctic and antarctica and sea levels are
increasing these effects can cause many
problems for the people on earth and for
the beautiful plants and animals that
live on earth too
they could mean there is not enough food
and water for everyone they could have a
damaging effect on people’s health and
they could make some people poorer we
need to act now to stop climate change
and to make a better future for our
world if we do not act now we will put
the future of our world in danger
chapter 2
a warmer world
weather stations across the world give
us information about the temperature on
the earth’s surface
we also get information from ships and
boys in the oceans
all this information helps scientists to
decide if the temperature on earth is
going up or going down
information from the last 150 years
shows that the temperature on the
earth’s surface has gone up
the temperature in some places has
increased more than others
and the warming in the arctic is greater
than in all other places on earth
some years have always been warmer or
colder than others
and the earth’s climate has changed a
number of times in the past
this is because natural things can cause
the earth’s temperature to change from
one year to the next
or to change over a longer time
these things include the amount of heat
coming from the sun
the effect of volcanoes
and weather patterns like el nino
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but for many years scientists have
talked about climate change
and the warming of the earth
each of the past four decades has been
warmer than the one before
the information we get from weather
stations ships and boys shows that since
the year 2000 the earth’s temperature
has been
0.75 degrees celsius warmer than it was
150 years ago
but in
2015 the temperature became one degree
celsius warmer than 150 years ago
this is a big increase
and scientists are worried about it
other studies also show that the earth
is getting warmer
for example studies show that the
temperature of the oceans is increasing
from the surface right down to the
bottom of each ocean
other studies show that the amount of
snow and ice on the earth’s surface is
getting smaller
melting ice and increasing sea levels
the warming of the earth is causing the
arctic sea ice to melt
in the 2010s
at the end of the summer the arctic sea
ice was one third smaller than at the
end of the 20th century
that’s a change of the same size as the
uk
ireland france spain
germany and italy put together
when the arctic sea ice melts it can
change the weather patterns in europe
asia and north america
as the earth gets warmer the water in
the oceans gets warmer too
this makes the water expand
get larger
this makes sea levels increase
also the land ice in greenland and
antarctica is melting
and this too causes sea levels to
increase
studies show that sea levels across the
world are increasing
when sea levels increase floods from
storms can be more dangerous for people
living near the sea
many of the world’s biggest cities like
shanghai in china
jakarta in indonesia
and mumbai in india are very close to
the sea
higher sea levels put these cities in
danger of floods
the floods in new york city in 2012
showed the damage that big storms can do
these floods caused huge problems for
the people of new york city
they damaged homes and other buildings
and many people had no electricity in
their homes
this meant no heat no light and no way
to cook food or heat water
the damage caused by big storms can have
an effect for many years and can cost
billions of pounds
for now the thames barrier on the river
thames in london protects the city from
floods
but if sea levels increase the barrier
might need to be bigger
and many other cities across the world
do not have anything to protect them
from higher sea levels and the floods
they can cause
the warming of the earth puts all of
these cities in danger
in many places building a barrier like
the thames barrier is either not
possible
or too expensive
chapter 3
the effects of a warmer world
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heat waves droughts floods and storms
heat waves droughts floods and storms
are all extreme weather
a heat wave is very hot weather for many
days and a drought is very little rain
for a long time
extreme weather can cause huge damage to
buildings and roads and to people and
animals
the damage caused by extreme weather can
cost billions of pounds and many people
can lose their lives
in 2016 there was an extreme heat wave
in india
the country had its highest ever
temperature at 51 degrees celsius and
many people died
in europe in 2003 there was a summer
heat wave that killed tens of thousands
of people
most of these people were old because
very hot weather can cause more problems
for older people
in australia there have been many large
fires over the last few years in the
australian summer the land and the
plants growing on the land can get very
dry
it is then easy for a fire to start and
to become very large very quickly
these fires badly damage people’s homes
and other buildings and many people lose
their lives in the fires
since the year 2000 parts of the uk have
had floods again and again and these
floods have caused huge amounts of
damage
in 2010 there were extreme floods in
pakistan
these floods had a terrible effect on 20
million people in the country
many people lost their lives and even
more people lost their homes
it takes a huge amount of time and money
to help people after damaging weather
like this
all over the world we are seeing
patterns of extreme weather
many places are having their highest
ever temperatures and other places are
having more rain than ever before
the effects of this extreme weather are
very dangerous for all the living things
in our world
the number of heat waves droughts floods
and storms we are seeing is increasing
in many places
extreme weather is now becoming normal
for many people
there has always been extreme weather
but studies show that climate change has
increased the risk of extreme weather
a warmer world increases the risk of
europe having a big heat wave for
example
studies on the floods in the uk show
that the risk of extremely heavy rain is
greater because of climate change and
this has made the risk of floods in this
part of the world higher
one reason for this is because a warmer
atmosphere can hold more water so the
rain is heavier and the risk of floods
is greater
the effects on people and where they
live
climate change can also have an effect
on our food and water and on our health
all over the world we grow food on farms
much of the food we buy at supermarkets
starts its life in a field or on a farm
but the food we grow needs the weather
to be just right not too hot not too
cold not too wet and not too dry
droughts and floods have a very damaging
effect on how much food we can grow
when fields become too wet or too dry
plants cannot grow
this can increase the price of food and
then poor people cannot buy it
these people then have to go hungry
some plants may grow better in a
different climate
but scientists think that the effects of
climate change will make it much harder
to grow enough food for everyone
climate change may also have an effect
on the amount of water that we have and
many places may not have the water they
need
across south asia and china water for
drinking and farming comes from large
rivers
the water in these rivers comes from
rain and snow and from ice melting high
up in the himalayan mountains
climate change can have an effect on all
of these things
this means lower amounts of water in the
rivers and lower amounts of water for
people to drink and use
climate change and extreme weather can
also have a damaging effect on our
health
more people could catch some diseases in
a warmer world
dirtier air can also damage the health
of all living things
the many effects of climate change can
make people feel worried about their
lives and their families
when people do not have the food and
water they need it can cause problems
between groups of people and communities
sometimes people move from their homes
to try to find a better place to live or
to find enough food and water
the effects on animals
climate change is causing problems for
many of the animals that live on the
earth
changes in temperature the seasons
spring summer autumn and winter and the
amount of food and water animals can
find all make life much more difficult
for animals in different parts of the
world
when changes to the climate are slow
animals can find ways to live with the
changes
but when changes to the climate happen
very quickly it is much more difficult
for animals to do this
the climate change we are seeing right
now is happening very quickly and it is
damaging for many of the living things
on earth
at the same time animals are losing
their habitats the places they live
people cut down trees to build towns and
cities and to grow food in fields
all of these things take habitats away
from animals
together climate change and losing
habitats make life very difficult for
the animals of this world
we may see some animals become extinct
in the future because of climate change
many animals already have problems and
there are very low numbers of some
animals in today’s world
more climate change may mean that these
animals become extinct and we never see
them again
many people already know about the polar
bear and the problems it now has in its
habitat the arctic
the arctic ice is melting
this makes catching seals to eat very
difficult for polar bears because they
walk on the ice to do this
polar bears are not the only animals at
risk from the warming of the earth
all over the world there are other
animals that could become extinct
because of climate change
many others will find life much more
difficult
many of australia’s animals have lost
their habitats because of climate change
these animals include the yellow-footed
rock wallaby the golden shouldered
parrot and lumholtz’s tree kangaroo
many of our medicines and all the plants
and animals we use for food come from
the natural world
in the future we may not have the large
numbers of different animals and plants
that we see on earth today
this will make the world a poorer and
sadder place for the people living on
earth in the future
the effects on companies and communities
some companies and communities are
already seeing the bad effects of
climate change and extreme weather
people buy insurance to protect their
homes if something bad happens
but it is going to become more difficult
for these companies to give insurance
against floods for example
when floods happen more often the cost
of insurance increases
insurance companies will find it more
and more difficult to protect these
homes because it costs so much money
food and water companies are also seeing
the effects of droughts floods and other
extreme weather and these effects are
increasing
in 2011 there was an extreme drought in
texas in the united states of america
many farms could not grow food or grass
for cows because there was no rain
the farmers lost billions of dollars
because they had no food to sell
other companies make electricity using
the water moving in rivers
but when there are lower amounts of
water in these rivers they cannot make
the electricity they need
this has been a big problem for many
communities in brazil
all of these things can make the price
of insurance food water and energy go up
doing nothing to stop climate change now
may make prices higher for companies and
for people in the future
many companies are now trying to stop
climate change and the warming of the
earth
they are trying to find ways that the
world can grow and develop without
putting more carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere
together companies are working towards a
future that makes money but does not
damage the earth finding ways to live in
our warmer world and to stop the
temperature increasing could mean more
jobs and a better future for communities
chapter 4
climate change then and now
climate change in the
past the earth’s climate has always
changed and this has had a huge effect
on life on earth
over millions of years the climate has
changed many times
it has been very very cold with lots of
snow and ice everywhere
it has also been very very hot with
forests of trees growing in the arctic
and antarctica
for the past 2.6 million years the earth
has always had some ice in the arctic
and antarctica
but the climate has changed in a pattern
sometimes warmer and sometimes colder
this pattern comes from the natural
changes in the way the earth moves
around the sun
there have been many ice ages in the
earth’s past
at these times there was a large amount
of ice over north america
europe and asia
the amount of ice was last at its
largest about 22 000 years ago
at this time the sea levels across the
earth were about 130 meters lower than
they are today
there were fewer people in the world
then
and scientists think that there were
only about
130 000 people living in europe
between the ice ages the earth was
warmer and there was not as much ice
at these times the sea levels were
higher and there were different plants
and animals living on the earth
at the end of the last ice age there
were fast and extreme changes in the
climate
that together with people killing
animals to eat may be the reason why the
woolly mammoth became extinct
climate change today
many scientists study the climate and
climate change
their studies show that people are the
biggest cause of climate change today
many of the things that people do
increase the amount of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere
and it is these gases that are making
the temperature of the earth increase
more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
carbon dioxide co2
methane ch4
nitrous oxide n2o and others
mean more of the energy we get from the
sun cannot leave the earth
this makes the earth warmer
plants and animals take carbon sea from
the atmosphere
these plants and animals then die and
their bodies go into the ground
over millions of years the bodies of
plants and animals can become fossil
fuels
people then burn these fossil fuels in
their homes in factories and in cars
buses and planes
when we burn fossil fuels the carbon
inside them is put back into the
atmosphere as carbon dioxide
people do many other things that put
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
cutting down trees in forests
deforestation
growing food and keeping animals on
farms
and making things in factories all
increase the amount of greenhouse gases
in the earth’s atmosphere
across the world levels of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere are over 45
percent higher than in 1750.
in 1750 there were about
280 parts per million
but in june 2016
even at the halle research station in
antarctica there were high levels of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
over 400 parts per million
chapter 5
the causes of climate change
carbon sinks and carbon in the
atmosphere
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on earth there is a carbon cycle
carbon dioxide is a very important gas
for life on earth
plants need it to live
they take in carbon dioxide use the
carbon to grow and then put oxygen back
into the atmosphere
people and animals then take in this
oxygen use it to live and put carbon
dioxide back into the atmosphere
when plants and animals die the carbon
in their bodies can go back into the
atmosphere as carbon dioxide or it can
go into the ground in their bodies
the carbon dioxide on earth moves
between the land and the atmosphere and
between the ocean and the atmosphere too
a carbon sink is something that takes in
carbon and holds it for a long time
the land and forests on earth are huge
carbon sinks because they take in a lot
of carbon dioxide
this is called the land sink
the oceans also take in a lot of carbon
dioxide so they are huge carbon sinks
too
this is called the ocean sink
together the land sink and ocean sink
take in and hold over half the carbon
dioxide that people put into the
atmosphere
the other half stays in the atmosphere
because there is nowhere for it to go
and no way for it to get out
the carbon sinks on earth are very
important
they stop the earth from getting even
warmer
every year people put about 40 billion
tons of carbon dioxide into the earth’s
atmosphere
most of this carbon dioxide comes from
burning fossil fuels and from factories
but some of it comes from deforestation
and from changing the way we use the
land
over the years since the last ice age
the earth has become about 4c to 5c
warmer
this warming was because of the natural
changes in the way the earth moves
around the sun
this change in temperature has had a
huge effect on the earth its climate and
the plants and animals that live here
if we do not stop putting so much carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere the earth’s
temperature may increase by another 4c
to 5c by the end of the 21st century
this would cause huge problems for all
the living things on the earth
the energy we use now and in the future
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across the world people use 20 times
more energy today than they did in 1850
in this time there has also been a
change in the energy we use
in the past we burned wood and used
energy from the wind and from the water
in rivers
today we burn a lot more fossil fuels
than we did in the past as we built more
and more factories we started to use
more and more fossil fuels
we also started to drive cars and travel
in planes and this burns fossil fuels
too
today 80 percent of the energy we use
comes from fossil fuels
energy from other things including wood
and water is just 20 of the energy we
use
right now energy from the sun and from
the wind is just three percent of the
energy we use but this is growing
quickly
the energy we get from the sun and wind
is much better for the earth than fossil
fuels because it is clean and does not
put any greenhouse gasses into the
atmosphere
countries need to work hard to increase
the amount of clean energy they use
for countries around the world getting
clean energy to people at a low price is
one of the biggest problems of the 21st
century
as the number of people in the world
grows the amount of energy we need also
grows and this is becoming a bigger and
bigger problem for everyone
around the world more than 1 billion
people live without electricity for heat
and light in their homes
most of these people live in africa and
asia
over 3 billion people still use wood in
their homes for cooking and this can
make the air inside their homes very
dirty and dangerous
it can have a very bad effect on their
health and millions of people die every
year because of dirty air inside their
homes
outside fossil fuels also have a bad
effect on people’s health
burning fossil fuels in factories and in
cars and buses causes millions of people
to die every year from dirty air
clean energy from the sun wind and water
is the best way to give people the
energy they need without having the
damaging effects on people’s health and
on the earth’s climate
cutting down forests and damaging soils
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forests are one of the biggest carbon
sinks on earth
across the world forests take in carbon
dioxide and hold it in their trees
plants and the soil under them
when we cut down trees most of that
carbon dioxide goes back into the
atmosphere
for thousands of years people have cut
down forests to use the land for farming
this deforestation put a lot of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere and also
caused some animals to become extinct
tarpans were wild horses and aurochs
were wild cows and both of these animals
became extinct
when people cut down forests in europe
asia and north africa
in the last century the deforestation of
rainforests in some parts of the world
has become a big problem
some of these rainforests are on soils
that hold a huge amount of carbon
these soils have taken in the carbon
slowly over thousands of years when
people cut down the trees in these
rainforests they damage the soil under
the trees and this puts the carbon
dioxide back into the atmosphere
farming can also damage soils and put
even more carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere
today people are still cutting down
forests often to build huge farms
over the last 150 years 25 percent of
the carbon dioxide put into the
atmosphere by people is because of
deforestation
cutting down forests has a bad effect on
the water cycle too and this can make
droughts worse in some parts of the
world
deforestation also puts many animals and
plants in danger because it takes away
their habitats
it may cause many animals to become
extinct in the future
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past and present changes in carbon
dioxide
the carbon dioxide levels in the
atmosphere today are much higher than at
any time in the last 800 000 years
we know this because many scientists
work in antarctica and study the ice
there
scientists take ice cores from the
antarctic ice and use them to find out
about the earth’s climate in the past
these ice cores show that the changes in
the last century are not part of earth’s
natural cycles
the ice in antarctica has built up over
hundreds of thousands of years over this
time snow fell and made layers that
built up to make the thick ice that we
see in antarctica today
every time the snow fell small amounts
of air also got inside the ice and could
not get out
scientists can take ice cores from more
than 3000 meters down to find air from
hundreds of thousands of years ago
by studying this air they can find out
about the atmosphere in the past
we can also study the soil at the bottom
of the ocean to find out about the
earth’s atmosphere a very long time ago
all of these studies show that carbon
dioxide is going into the atmosphere
more quickly now than at any time in the
past 50 million years
today’s changes in carbon dioxide levels
are not because of natural causes but
because of people
most of the carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere today will be there for many
years
some will stay in the atmosphere for
thousands of years
this means that we will see the effects
of this carbon dioxide for many years to
come
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chapter 6 the risks of climate change
acidic oceans
the high levels of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere are having a bad effect on
our oceans across the world oceans are
becoming more acidic
the last time the oceans on earth were
so acidic was about
250 million years ago
at this time a huge number of animals
became extinct
about 30 percent of the carbon dioxide
people put into the atmosphere goes into
the oceans
this stops so much carbon dioxide
staying in the atmosphere
ocean sinks stop the temperature on
earth from getting even higher
but they also make the water in the
oceans more acidic
scientists are starting to understand
the effects that acidic water has on the
animals that live in the ocean
many of the very small animals in the
ocean like corals are really important
for other ocean animals and for people
for example people eat a lot of fish and
these fish eat smaller fish and other
small animals in the ocean
if the numbers of these smaller animals
get very low because they are killed by
acidic water there will be lower numbers
of bigger fish
this could then cause a problem for all
the animals that live in the ocean
including those that people eat
so acidic oceans may cause a big problem
for people too
lower numbers of fish and other sea
animals will make life very difficult
for communities that live near the sea
and catch and sell them as food
it will also make food that comes from
the sea more difficult to buy and more
expensive
reefs are in danger
acidic oceans and warmer sea water are
both very bad for corals and many corals
are dying in oceans across the world
storms dirty sea water and other ocean
animals also damage coral reefs
people are now very worried about the
future of the ocean’s beautiful coral
reefs including australia’s great
barrier reef
the risk of large climate changes
as the world gets warmer there is a risk
of large and dangerous changes to the
earth’s climate
and once these changes happen we may
never be able to go back to the climate
we have today
even small increases in temperature can
have a big effect on the thick ice over
greenland and west antarctica
if this ice melts it will cause sea
levels to increase maybe by many meters
this would have a huge effect on the
land next to the sea all around the
world
studies show that the ice in greenland
is melting more every summer
there is also information to show that
the thick ice in west antarctica is
melting and that the damage to the ice
is very large
some scientists think we may never be
able to stop this ice melting
changes to rain patterns can cause
forests to become very dry
and this can increase the risk of fire
fire and drought can really damage thick
forests
then the forests may become dry land
with only grass and no trees
this land cannot hold as much carbon so
more carbon stays in the atmosphere
this increases temperatures and causes
more changes to rain patterns
many people are worried that this cycle
may cause many of the trees in the
amazon rainforest to die
there are many other large changes to
the climate that may happen in the
future these include huge droughts huge
changes in natural rain patterns and
huge changes in the ocean
the ocean moves warm and cold water
around the earth and this has a big
effect on the climate
changes in how this water moves can
cause huge changes to the climate in
different parts of the world
scientists are also worried about the
increase in temperature in the arctic
the arctic holds a large amount of the
greenhouse gas methane ch4
as the temperature increases this
methane can get into the atmosphere
this is a huge problem because methane
is a much stronger greenhouse gas than
carbon dioxide
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increasing sea levels
over the last few decades we have seen
the effects of climate change all over
the world in all places and all oceans
climate change has had an effect both on
the natural world plants and animals and
on people and communities
today the earth’s temperature is about
one degree celsius warmer than it was
150 years ago
the warmer the world becomes the worse
the effects are for the natural world
and for people communities and companies
many people live on small islands around
the world
and these people are very worried about
the effects of climate change
some islands are only a few metres above
sea level so floods are a huge problem
for them if sea levels increase
studies show that four hundred thousand
years ago the earth was warmer and a
large part of greenland had no ice over
it for a long time
the melting ice caused sea levels to
increase and they became more than six
meters higher than they are today
scientists think that the temperature at
this time was only a little warmer than
the temperature today
this shows how important it is to stop
the earth’s temperature increasing
anymore
what to do about climate change
in 2015 the world’s countries met in
paris in france to talk about climate
change and what to do about it
they agreed to take steps to keep the
earth’s warming to well below 2 degrees
celsius
they agreed to try to keep warming below
1.5 degrees celsius but they know that
this will be difficult
to try to do this they agreed to cut the
amount of greenhouse gases they put into
the atmosphere
this was a very positive step
these plans will help to stop the
warming of the earth and are good in
many other ways
the plans could help to make the air
cleaner
stop the water in the oceans becoming so
acidic
and help people to live a healthy life
all of these things can have a positive
effect on people’s lives
cutting carbon
in paris in 2015 countries agreed to cut
the amount of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases they put into the
atmosphere
to stop the earth’s warming going above
1.5 degrees celsius
people need to stop putting any carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere by the
middle of this century
this means that we need to cut the
amount of carbon dioxide we put into the
atmosphere right now
the amount of carbon dioxide we can put
into the atmosphere before there is a
large risk of dangerous levels of
warming
is called a carbon budget
the more of the carbon budget we use now
the lower it will be in the future
together countries must plan how to use
the carbon budget so that we do not use
it all too quickly
[Applause]
for the earth’s warming to stay below
1.5 degrees celsius the carbon budget is
about
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600 billion tons
but scientists think that since 1870
we have already put 2
200 billion tons of carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere
this means we have already used 2
200 billion tons of the carbon budget
and we only have about 400 billion tons
left
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400 billion tons of carbon dioxide
sounds like a huge amount
but right now people across the world
put more than 40 billion tons of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere every year
we need to stop burning fossil fuels
cutting down forests and damaging soils
if we do not we will use all of the
world’s carbon budget to stay below 1.5
degrees celsius in the next 10 to 15
years
even if we stop putting any carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere the
temperatures on earth will stay warm and
this will cause changes to the climate
for hundreds of years in the future
because of the greenhouse gases already
in the atmosphere the oceans will slowly
warm the ice in the arctic and
antarctica will melt and sea levels will
increase for many years to come
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energy solutions
to make a better future for the earth
people all over the world need to cut
the amount of greenhouse gases they put
into the atmosphere
today we burn a huge amount of fossil
fuel and this is one of the biggest
reasons why we put so much carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere
we need to stop burning fossil fuels and
to only use clean energy in the future
we can get clean energy from a number of
places the wind the sun plants
the water moving in rivers and the ocean
hot rocks under the ground and other new
ways of making energy
nuclear energy also puts very few
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere but
it is expensive
in the future scientists also need to
find ways of making better batteries so
we can keep electricity and it can be
used at a later time
the batteries we use today do not hold
enough electricity
better batteries will also help us to
move from cars and buses that burn
fossil fuels to cars and buses that use
electricity
there is another step we can take to
help to stop climate change
scientists need to find ways of taking
carbon dioxide from factories and other
places that make it
and keeping it under the ground
making new carbon sinks can help to cut
the carbon dioxide going into the
atmosphere
we must also try not to use more energy
than we need
we need to find ways of using a smaller
amount of energy in our homes and in
factories
people are now using computers to help
to cut the amount of energy we use and
to put more clean energy into people’s
homes
scientists also need to find ways of
taking large amounts of carbon dioxide
out of the atmosphere without causing
any other problems for the world
this needs to happen quickly
very quickly if we want warming to stay
below 1.5 degrees celsius
forest solutions
the earth’s forests are an important
part of the solution to cutting
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and
stopping climate change
forests are one of the biggest carbon
sinks on the earth
we need to stop deforestation
protect the earth’s natural forests and
grow more trees and forests
this includes growing forests on land
that is not good for farming
stopping deforestation is a very
difficult thing to do
around the world people cut down forests
to use the land for farming
this is an important way for many
countries to make money and for people
to make money to buy food and clothes
for their families
people need to see how important forests
are because then they will stop cutting
them down
this has already happened in many places
around the world
many countries now understand that
rainforests help to protect and to
develop their communities
these forests have a positive effect on
the amount of rain and clean water
communities have for farming and on the
rivers that some companies use to make
electricity
forests also help to protect the land
and soil
and to lower the number of floods
communities have
forests do a natural job of protecting
soils and this is important for the food
and water we need and use every day
protecting forests is a good way to cut
the amount of carbon dioxide we put into
the atmosphere
and it has a positive effect on many
other things too
in west africa people are helping cocoa
farmers to make more money from the
cocoa they grow without cutting down
more trees and forests
this includes growing cocoa plants and
trees together in ways that give farmers
more food from the same land
farmers are then making more money for
their families and for their countries
but carbon stays inside the trees in the
rainforests and does not go into the
atmosphere
food and farming solutions
farming can also be part of the solution
to climate change
farmers can use ways of farming that
build up carbon levels in soils
soils are a very important natural
carbon sink
some soils are better than others
for example soils that have very small
living things in them can change dead
plants into food for new plants to grow
this can help farmers to grow the plants
we eat these soils are also very good at
holding carbon
farmers can help to make these good
soils
they can do this by often changing the
plants that they grow on their land and
by not always growing the same plants
they can also help by sometimes growing
plants on the land and sometimes keeping
animals on it
these two steps can help to make soils
healthy
these good soils also hold more water
this means that they can protect plants
from drought and this makes farming
easier in a warmer
climate the amount of carbon dioxide we
put into the atmosphere can also be cut
by thinking about the food we eat
only growing the food we need and not
throwing food away will help not eating
so much meat and other foods that come
from animals will also help to cut the
greenhouse gases we put into the
atmosphere
earth’s natural cycles
the earth and its living things run in
cycles
the water cycle and the carbon cycle are
very important patterns for life on
earth
soils use the good things from dead
plants to grow new plants
in natural cycles everything is used
again
but in today’s world people often do not
do things in cycles
we make things and then we use them
when we finish using things we throw
them away
when we throw things away they often go
into the land the atmosphere or the
oceans
we do not use them again or get back the
energy or things we used to make them
this means that we use a lot of energy
and natural things but doing things in
cycles does not use as much energy or
natural things
and does not put so much carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere
companies need to do things in new and
different ways
they must try to find ways of using
everything again and throwing nothing
away just like natural cycles
we need to look at the natural cycles on
earth and try to do things in the same
way
many companies are already using these
ideas to make new things and to help
stop climate change
for example companies are using natural
cycles to develop new fuels
the future
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coming together to stop climate change
climate change is a problem for all the
people of the world
one country on its own cannot find the
solution
all the countries of the world need to
work together on this problem
countries also need to work together to
develop in a way that is good for the
earth and does not damage it
together they need to help poor
countries and communities to have a
positive future
many people from across the world have
asked for countries to do more to stop
climate change
in 2015 in paris countries agreed to cut
the amount of fossil fuels they burn to
protect forests and to increase the
health of their soils
this was a very positive day for climate
change
the steps that countries agreed to take
in paris are still not enough to stop
warming going above 2 degrees celsius
but the countries all agreed to do more
in the future
cutting the amount of greenhouse gases
we put into the atmosphere will help to
stop the temperature on earth increasing
more
this is very positive for the future
but many people around the world will
still have to live with the effects of
climate change
so in paris countries also agreed to
help people to find ways to live in our
warmer world
and to protect them from the effects of
higher temperatures
making a better life for everyone
trying to find solutions to the problem
of climate change can be a very positive
thing for many people and many companies
across the world companies can look for
new things to make and new ways of doing
things
they can work together with new people
and can make new jobs
finding solutions to climate change
could make life better for people in
many different ways
lots of companies are now developing
clean energies and this is making many
new jobs
building companies are making new houses
that are comfortable use very little
energy and are cheaper to live in
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all the large car companies are now
moving away from fossil fuels and are
making cars that use electricity
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companies are also looking at ways of
using new fuels in their cars and
airplanes including fuels from plants
this will cut the amount of carbon
dioxide we put into the atmosphere
a lot of companies are now working with
the idea of zero deforestation in
everything they do
people cut down trees in forests all
over the world
but in some forests people cut down a
tree and then grow a new tree
this is called zero deforestation
companies across the world are now only
using trees from forests like this
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countries communities and companies are
trying to build a different future
without people putting greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere
this idea is growing fast and is now
making a lot of money
countries can help this change happen
faster
they can make it cheaper to make and use
cleaner energy
and more expensive to make and use
fossil fuels
asking companies to develop clean ways
of doing things can make more jobs
stronger communities and a better
climate for everyone
one earth
for hundreds of years we have used more
and more from the natural world but
there is still only one earth
the number of people living on earth
grows every day and every day we have a
bigger and bigger effect on the earth
for the communities of the world to have
a positive future we must find ways of
living on the earth without damaging it
in the way we do today
we are already seeing the bad effects of
climate change but things may be much
worse for our children and our
grandchildren
we need to see that the earth is in
danger and act now to find solutions
everyone must work towards stopping
climate change on our own and together
we can all help
every day we can decide to do things
that cut the amount of carbon dioxide we
put into the atmosphere
every day we can take positive steps to
keep the natural world healthy
we have had a bad effect on the natural
world for too long
and we need to stop now
if we are good to the earth only then
can the earth be good to us
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