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DO ONE THING and BetterWorld Kids Clubs are projects of The EMILY Fund (The Emily Silverstein Fund, Inc.)

What's Your Issue For A Better World?
Climate Change

Some believe that global climate change is one of the biggest problems threatening the future of our planet. Over the last decade or so, the average temperatures have been higher than usual all around the world. These warmer conditions have caused unusual melting of ice capped mountains and of glaciers at the earth's poles, as well as more severe weather conditions and loss of wildlife habitat. Sea levels are also rising and scientists worry that many highly populated places will soon be in danger of severe flooding. Most scientists believe that these are not just random occurrences but that the earth's climate is actually changing.

Natural causes have changed the earth's climate in the past, but scientists believe that these current changes are due to human activities, and that they are larger and are happening faster than at any other time in modern history.

The current changes in the earth's climate are mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels, like oil, coal and natural gas, to run our cars and heat our homes. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, which means it helps trap heat. This is called the greenhouse effect. Life on earth could not exist without carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The greenhouse effect keeps the earth warm - without it, heat would escape from the atmosphere and the earth would be too cold to support life. In addition, plants need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. This allows them to grow and produces oxygen as a waste product, which all animals, including humans, need to breathe. But burning fossil fuels creates much more carbon dioxide than plants can take in, and the levels of carbon dioxide and other 'greenhouse gases' in the atmosphere are rising, trapping in too much heat.

Global climate change isn't just something to worry about in the distant future - it is already causing problems today that will get worse if we don't work to solve it. The key to solving the global climate change crisis is to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we emit into the atmosphere. This is something that nations have been actively discussing, but because all humans use energy, it's also something that each of us can help with, too.

There are lots of ways that you can help, like reducing the amount of energy you consume, switching to clean energy sources, whenever possible, helping to educate your friends, family and community, and advocating for legislation that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

DO ONE THING for a Better World

1. Conserve energy - Walk or ride your bike for local trips; turn off lights and unplug energy-draining appliances when you're not using them; use energy-efficient appliances

2. Use renewable energy instead of fossil fuel sources

3. Conserve water - treating drinking water uses lots of energy

4. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - when you buy and throw away less things it saves energy to manufacture and dispose of more things.

5. Plant a tree - plants absorb carbon dioxide and trees provide shade keeping homes cooler in summer

6. Spread the word - help educate others about importance of climate change and support legislation addressing this issue

Links

epa.gov/climatechange/kids/
unep.org/climatechange/
climatecentral.org
globalwarmingkids.net/
climate.nasa.gov/kids/

Climate Change Day:
climatechangeday.org/
globalclimatecampaign.org

Climate Change Quotes

Climate Change Day - 1st Saturday in December

Better World
Issue:
Climate Change

Print Out FREE Pages
by clicking on thumbnail for PDF

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(7 MB)

 

no celebrtiy endorsement implied


Peter Barnes


Gro Harlem Brundtland

Sheryl Crow

Blythe Danner

Leonardo DiCaprio

Paul Ehrlich

Ross Gelbspan

Danny Glover

Al Gore

Paul Hawken

Denis Hayes

Van Jones

Wangari Maathai

Bill McKibben

Ralph Nader

Barack Obama

Kyra Sedgwick

Sarah van Gelder

Joanne Woodward

Front Cover

 

Do One Thing Calendar

Print out and reproduce calendar pages,
or
Order paperback book
with all 60 + reproducible calendar pages
for $7.95
at Lulu.com
(a portion of the proceeds benefits
The EMILY Fund)

 

 

* Win a scholarship - create a 30sec-1min YouTube video inviting others to DO ONE THING ...

Kids | Youth | Adults | Calendar | Quotes | Heroes | Stories | The EMILY Fund | Scholarships
DO ONE THING and BetterWorld Kids Clubs are projects of The EMILY Fund (The Emily Silverstein Fund, Inc.)
Hero portraits are included for illustration purposes only - no celebrity endorsement implied

The Emily Fund
Education, Mentorship, Inspiration, Leadership, Youth
- for a Better
World

PO Box 430
Roosevelt, NJ 08555-0430
info@EmilyFund.org