EARTH DAY
FACTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE
MOST OF THE INCREASE IN GLOBAL TEMPERATURES SINCE 1950 HAS BEEN CAUSED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY While there are some causes of climate change that are natural, like volcanic eruptions, the reason we are facing a climate crisis now is because of human activity. The main causes of climate change through human activity include, burning fossil fuels for energy, intense farming and agriculture to produce meat and crops and removing forests and trees to make space for other land uses. All of these activities release greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, causing the global temperature to rise.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF THE EARTH IS DETERMINED BY THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. When the sun passes through the atmosphere, the greenhouse gases absorb the radiation and prevents the heat from leaving the atmosphere. This is known as the greenhouse gas effect. Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature on Earth would be far too cold to sustain life. However, when we add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere through human activity, this causes more of the sun's energy to get trapped in the atmosphere, heating up the Earth and causing global warming. Greenhouse gases include Carbon Dioxide (CO2), which is usually produced by burning fossil fuels, and Methane (CH4), which is produced by livestock like cows when they digest food.
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