Science in the News

We all have heard of climate change and global warming but how much do we truly know about this topic? Climate change is any change in our climate including wind, precipitation, temperature, and much more. Global Warming is any changes in temperature across the Earth. Now that we know what these terms mean, let's dive in a little further about this topic. Climate change has been a huge discussion in recent years because scientists have been warning us about these changes that are occurring right now. These changes are harmful to living and non-living things on Earth. Did you know that between 1901 and 2012 the Earth's temperature has risen by .89 degrees, the amount of rainfall has significantly increased and sea levels have risen about 19cm across the world due to ice glaciers melting? Most scientists explain these phenomena by the "Greenhouse Effect", this is the idea of the Earth's atmosphere allowing sunlight to shine through a blanket of greenhouse gases, then once it reaches earth the land and water absorb the sunlight energy, then the energy goes all the way back into the atmosphere through infra-red rays. However, some energy does go back into space, while a lot stays in the atmosphere causing the Earth to warm up. If the greenhouse effect continues to become stronger, the Earth would just keep warming up, causing harm for plants, animals, and even us!  Greenhouse gases come from things like cars, planes, engines, and big industries. Humans are producing more waste than ever before and this waste produces smoke, fumes and water vapor. As these gases are getting trapped inside the atmosphere, the Earth's surface is becoming warmer, this is called Global Warming. Climate change causes land and water to expand and ice sheets to melt, habitats can disappear and a cycle of violent weather can occur. However, there is something each and every one of us can do to make a difference! People can help out by carpooling, walking, planting trees, reducing, reusing, and recycling. By doing these things we can take better care of our Earth!  I accessed a lot of this information from this article. I picked this article because I believe climate change is a very important topic and it is something we discussed during this semester. I think it is crucial that the next generations learn about this because this Earth is their home and they will have to take care of it. The more people know about this issue the better the chances are that the problem is resolved. I would use this in my classroom and let the students do projects on ways they can help climate change. I would also let my students pick any news article that is appealing to them because it is an interesting way to learn new things. I think news articles would help students learn scientific concepts and topics in a different exciting way!