Climate change

By Pere Cases

All human beings live on one Earth. This is our home and we need to keep it healthy and clean. Over the last hundred years industry and cars have polluted the air and the seas. There are some signs that indicate that we have to do something if we do not want to destroy the environment. What we call global warming is a phenomenon that includes a continuous increase in the Earth’s temperature and a continued disappearance of the ozone layer from the atmosphere. This gas protects us from the harmful rays of the sun.

Global warming is associated with climate changes; one of these changes is the greenhouse effect. This phenomenon is so called because it causes an increase of temperature, just as greenhouses do. The gases in the atmosphere act like the glass of a greenhouse and all the heat of the earth that should go into space turns into gases and comes back to us. The temperatures of the seas are increasing and the icebergs on the south and north poles are melting. If icebergs continue melting, the level of the sea will go up and some cities and countries will disappear. Scientists say that the temperature of the sea is also responsible for the increase in droughts, floods, hurricanes and other climatic phenomena that destroy agriculture and buildings. If this goes on, poverty on Earth will kill lots of people.

To stop this, we need to change our way of living and we have to reduce pollution and CO2 in the atmosphere. Many countries had a meeting under UN supervision to talk about how they can achieve this. They decided to reduce CO2 gases step by step. Some countries did not want to sign the agreement, because they say they will lose a lot of money, but others are trying to push them to sign it. This regulation was called the Kyoto protocol.

If we cannot use petrol, coal and other fossil energies, we need to find new energies that do not pollute and will not be extinguished; these energies are called renewable energies. They use solar energy, wind energy and the energy of the sea waves.

If every country used renewable energies and stop polluting the Earth, we will be able to live for millions of years on the Earth.