This is a short essay on global warming for kids written in easy-to-read English. The thoughts have also be simplified. Anyone can use it if they like it.
The two big problems with global warming are (1) a lot of people don’t believe that it eixsts and if it does exist (2) how can we fix it fast? It may take many years before we are sure about global warming. There are a lot of political and business reasons for denying its existence.
If it does exist, and I believe it does, it is because there are more greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere now than ever before. Greenhouse gases are important to us. Without them the planet would be at 0 ºF rather than an average of 18 ºF. The main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.
We hear a lot of about carbon dioxide (CO2) which comes from burning fossil fuels such as gas (petrol) in cars. And methane comes from cows.
The problem is that greenhouse gases are building up because of increased human activity; mainly business activity because nowadays it is businesses which are the main producers of greenhouse gases. The sun provides us with a lot of warmth. This warms the planet which then gives off heat which goes into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases trap the warm air given off by the planet so rather than going into space it stays near the surface of the planet warming it up dangerously.
As the number of people on the planet grows rapidly every year there is more human activity, more vehicles and more cattle to feed more people. Also forests are being cut down and burnt producing more carbon dioxide. In China, for example, coal is dug up from the ground and burnt to make electricity. This creates millions of tons of carbon dioxide which goes into the earth’s atmosphere which speeds up global warming.
Most world leaders want to work together to reduce greenhouse gases. They need to work together because there is no point in one or two countries reducing greenhouse gases. Each country has to do their bit to reduce them.
This is why we see a lot more electric cars in America. Electric cars don’t spew out carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide is created naturally and by human activities in fossil fuel burning and industries.
Are electric cars better for the planet? Some people say that when an electric car in built the process creates greenhouse gases. And also the electricity comes from power stations which sometimes burn fossil fuels. Elon Musk the creator of the famous Tesla electric car says that his cars produce less greenhouse gases overall than normal cars. It has been found that electric cars (EVs) are better for the planet. I have one.
President Trump doubts if global warming exists or he is not prepared to join with other countries to reduce the production of greenhouse gases because it makes manufacturing more expensive which is bad for the economy. You can see the difficulties in getting all countries to work together to stop global warming if it exists.
Global warming causes the oceans levels to rise because sea water expands as it gets warmer and ice is melting adding to the oceans and seas. This will lead to some low lying islands being badly flooded. Countries like the Netherlands are at risk of massive flooding through global warming. Iconic animals such as the polar bear are today effected by the melting ice. Sometimes yhey have to swim vast distances, up to a hundred miles, to find prey to eat. They sometimes starve to death or are shot feeding on human refuse.
Humans have a habit of doing things which affect the planet very slowly and too late. This is because we can’t work together and business runs the world. Business is not that concerned about global warming as it is expensive to fix it. There is a danger that things will get very bad and affect everyone.
