Climate Change – The Biggest Challenge
We have spent the last week learning about Climate Change and the impact that it has on life on Earth. For this week’s writing task we are going to be explaining what Climate Change is, what impact it has, and what we need to do to improve how we look after the environment.
Make sure you have read and understood what Explanatory Writing is, and have made a plan.
| Your task is to explain
what Climate Change is, and what impact it has on Earth. |
| Begin your writing here:
Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. Climate impacts are already harming health, through air pollution, disease, extreme weather events, forced displacement, pressures on mental health, and increased hunger and poor nutrition in places where people cannot grow or find sufficient food. Climate change is very dangerous to our environment and can have a really bad impact on our health and bodies.Climate change is really just all about the temperature or is it?Many people think climate change mainly means warmer temperatures. But temperature rise is only the beginning of the story. Because the Earth is a system, where everything is connected, changes in one area can influence changes in all others.Climate change can affect our health, ability to grow food, housing, safety and work. The main greenhouse gases that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. These come from using gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, for example. Clearing land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide. Agriculture, oil and gas operations are major sources of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases.Climate scientists have shown that humans are responsible for virtually all global heating over the last 200 years. Many climate change solutions can deliver economic benefits while improving our lives and protecting the environment. We also have global frameworks and agreements to guide progress, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. Three broad categories of action are: cutting emissions, adapting to climate impacts and financing required adjustments.Many climate change solutions can deliver economic benefits while improving our lives and protecting the environment. Climate is the average weather in a place over many years. Climate change is a shift in those average conditions.The rapid climate change we are now seeing is caused by humans using oil, gas and coal for their homes, factories and transport.When these fossil fuels burn, they release greenhouse gases – mostly carbon dioxide (CO2). These gases trap the Sun’s heat and cause the planet’s temperature to rise.Linking climate change and individual droughts can be difficult. |