1 THE EARTH IS WARMING UP Scientists called climatologists watch and record Earth’s temperature They have found the earth’s average temperature is increasing Earth’s climate has always changed naturally over long periods of time This type of long-term change is called climate change It is normal for the earth’s temperature to fluctuate However during the last 150 years temperatures have risen more rapidly than ever before Climatologists say that human activity contributes to this change The earth’s average temperature is normally 59 F 15 C During the twentieth century the global temperature increased between 0 7 F and 1 5 F 0 45 C and 0 6 C The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC predicts Earth 4 Climate scientists from Climate scientists from Climate scientists from e around he o ld around the world met around the world met to d scuss c mate to di cuss climate to discuss climate to discuss climate change in Yokohama change in Yokohama change in Yokohama Jap n in 2014 Ja n in 2014 Japan in 2014 Japan in 2014
Climate change can increase the chances of severe weather including flooding could be 2 to 10 degrees warmer in 100 years human population Most of these impacts will be negative Even a change of just one degree can have disastrous results As the earth gets hotter glaciers melt and ocean levels rise Entire ecosystems are affected Human lives and whole communities may be endangered Coastal areas where severe flooding is possible are at risk Global warming has been blamed for the increase in violent changes in weather Most scientists agree steps must be taken to slow global warming Climate change will impact the earth’s natural environment and 2050 The year scientists predict more than 1 million of Earth’s plants and animals face extinction if global warming is not slowed Scientific evidence shows human activity is a major cause of global warming Global warming may lead to flooding of coastal areas and extreme weather changes 5
2 SOME SCIENTISTS QUESTION CLIMATE CHANGE Nearly all scientists agree the global temperature is rising Some however do not believe humans are causing global warming and climate change These people including some scientists are called climate change skeptics Climate change skeptics argue climatology is still a fairly new science Global weather patterns are complicated Scientists are not able to make definite conclusions Skeptics are not convinced human Climate change skeptics are not convinced human activity such as driving contributes to climate change 6
200 Years worth of coal that is located in the United States Most scientists agree that the global temperature is rising People who do not believe humans contribute to global warming are called skeptics Earth has been through climate changes before at the future Skeptics believe more studies are needed before humans take action activity is to blame Earth has been through climate changes before including ice ages and warming periods Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions have also changed Earth’s climate Climate change skeptics point out that Earth has always had cycles of climate change They say the climate is too complex and powerful Human actions cannot damage it significantly Without more research scientists can only guess A coal excavator strips coal from a hillside 7
