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Just the Facts
Our Planet in Peril
Fifty years ago this month, the first Earth Day raised awareness about the environment and led to key protections. Yet today, much more needs to be done to stop the threat posed by climate change.
SOURCE: NOAA Shutterstock.com (grass, thermometer)
SOURCE: NOAA Shutterstock.com (grass)
The Planet’s Top CO2 Emitters*
CO2 is a greenhouse gas. Such gases are released when we burn fossil fuels (coal and oil, for example) to power homes, cars, and factories. This is the leading cause of climate change. These five countries emit the most CO2 each year.
*Based on 2017 figures
SOURCE: World Economic Forum Jim McMahon/Mapman®
SOURCE: The Guardian/Ember Shutterstock.com (grass)
Write About It! Use the information on this page to write an argument about whether individuals and governments should do more to reduce the threat posed by climate change. Include at least three facts as evidence.
(n) coal, oil, or natural gas formed from the remains of prehistoric plants and animals
Denzel has started biking to school instead of having his dad drive him to try to use less fossil fuel in his daily life.
(n) a gas that is produced when certain fuels are burned and when people and animals breathe out
Plants help clean the air by taking in some of the carbon dioxide that people produce.
(n) a gas that warms the atmosphere by trapping the sun’s heat close to Earth’s surface
Power plants that burn coal produce greenhouse gases.
(n) a long-term change in Earth’s typical weather conditions, including warmer average global temperatures, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather events
Most scientists think climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires, droughts, and more powerful storms.