Climate Change

environment · global warming · greenhouse gases · human impact

The planet is heating up. Earth's average temperature has been rising for about 150 years because of things humans do, like burning coal, oil, and natural gas for energy.

Greenhouse gases trap heat. When we burn fossil fuels, we release gases like carbon dioxide that float up into the atmosphere and act like a blanket, keeping the sun's heat from escaping back into space.

Carbon dioxide is way up. The air now has about 50% more carbon dioxide than it did before factories and cars were invented, and scientists say levels haven't been this high for millions of years.

Fewer trees, more problems. When we cut down forests to make space for farms and cities, we lose trees that would normally absorb carbon dioxide from the air.

Farming adds to the problem. Some farming methods and raising livestock release special gases that trap heat even more powerfully than carbon dioxide.