• Earth’s human population is growing all the time. The more of us there are, the more food, water, fuel and land we need. Most of the power we need for industry, transport and homes comes from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, to generate electricity.
• The greenhouse effect is the way that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, help to heat up our planet. It happens naturally on every planet with an atmosphere but scientists have linked a quarter of the CO2 in the atmosphere today to human actions.
• When the greenhouse effect gets stronger, global warming takes place – that is, Earth’s average temperature rises. Many people still argue about the reality of global warming, but there’s a lot of evidence to support it from snow, mountain glaciers and Arctic sea ice melting to a rise in global surface temperatures.
• As rainfall patterns and temperatures shift, conditions will change in climate zones and some animals may die out if they can’t adapt quickly enough to the new conditions.
• Scientists think that the amount of warming will vary from place to place but the maximum warming will probably be in the Arctic. In winter, Arctic sea ice has already thinned by 40% since the 1970s.
• There are lots of ways to help prevent global warming. A good way to start is by using less energy and recycling. Plastic, glass, drinks cans, paper and even mobile phones can be recycled. Grocery bags and clothes can be reused and food waste can be turned into compost.

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