A Mission to Accomplish What does it take to be a superhero Do you need to have special powers like the ability to fly or great strength Today’s world is in need of everyday heroes and they have a difficult mission to save Earth’s environment Our world contains over 7 billion people Many human actions cause harm to the Earth Our appetite for fossil fuels and cheap food and products contributes to problems in the areas of climate change trash energy water and deforestation We need problem solvers with skills and knowledge in science technology engineering and math STEM to help keep our Earth healthy Deforestation as a logging practice occurs worldwide not just in tropical rainforests 4
We need people with new ideas to make our everyday actions less harmful to Earth We also need ideas for how to fix problems we have already created STEM is a great source for new ideas With new solutions to old problems in place our actions can make a difference from a single person to whole countries Chemical plant operators ensure materials and reactions process smoothly What's STEM Science Technology Engineering Mathematics 5
Climate Data People burn fossil fuels like coal oil and natural gas every day We use fossil fuels when we drive our cars heat our homes and workplaces and make electricity When burned they release carbon dioxide gas into the air Earth’s atmosphere has too much of this gas It acts like a blanket to trap heat The large amounts of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere cause Earth’s climate to warm Climate change causes glaciers and polar ice caps to melt stronger storms and insect infestations of forests With changing climates habitats are lost along with the diversity of plants and animals they contain Muir Glacier 1892 Muir Glacier 2005 6
STEM in Action If we add up all the ways we contribute to global climate change through the production of carbon dioxide we come up with a measure called a carbon footprint Take the quiz below Give yourself 2 points if the statement is true 1 point if it is somewhat true and 0 points if it is untrue I live in the United States I live in a large house I run electronic devices daily I ride in a car every day I rarely recycle What was your score Can you think of any ways to reduce your score 7
