Global Warming

Green-house gases such as Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide will trap heat energy from the Sun within Earth. This causes the temperature of the Earth to rise, which is known as Global Warming. It causes ice caps from all over the world to melt, and one of the most affected place is Antarctica, causing the number of Phytoplanktons and Krills to reduce, destroying the entire food chain of Antarctica since Phytoplanktons and Krills is the bottom layer of the Antarctica food chain. At this rate, Penguins, leopard seals and animals which originate from Antarctica might extinct!

What is happening at the Artic?

The Artic, also known as the frozen Artic Ocean ,is now facing a whole lot of problems due to one problem: Global Warming. It has affected the whole world and also the Artic's neighbour, Greenland. It has an icecap which is 2km thick and once it melts completely, sea levels will rise 6m more! The animals in the Artic are also facing problems. For example, polar bears. They cannot hunt seals anymore due to melting ice sheets and it can only hunt caribou, which are reindeer. Caribou does not provide enough fat and they are too fast for the polar bears, so normally they are not successful, which leads to one thing - Death. They are dying out and facing extinction, and melting of permafrost also caused problems. It will release a gas called Methane which absorbs heat 10 times more than carbon dioxide, and having livestock with cows and sheep releases more Methane. If we do not change now, we will be grilled in no time, and the Artic will melt, too. We will also lose our habitat due to rising sea levels, and so we must stop global warming, once and for all!

Even more about Global warming

· Global Warming is basically just the increasing temperature of the Earth’s average surface temperature. There are many reasons of global warming; two of such reasons are when we burn oil or fossil fuels we produce carbon dioxide and deforestation, which results in lesser trees taking in carbon dioxide which means ,that there will be a higher amount of carbon dioxide than before. Carbon dioxide would “eat up” the Earth’s atmosphere and the sun’s rays would be able to get through and they would burn or melt anything it comes into contact with as there is no longer a “layer” ,to reduce the severity of the sun’s rays. Scientists are arguing about how fast the Earth is warming up and for how much will it warm up.
· If global warming continues and the temperature increases, ice bergs will melt and the sea level would increase. Some plants and animals would become extinct as the rising sea level flooded it’s original habitat. Some animals would simply just move their houses to a new location. Islands would also become submerged in the water and the cities on the island would be totally destroyed and uninhabited, so we are all in big trouble if global warming does not stop. Scientists say that it is impossible to stop global warming at this stage of time but it would be still possible to minimise the damage done.
· The green house effect is the rise of temperature in the Earth’s atmosphere as certain gases; Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Methane, and Water Vapour (just to name some) trap energy from the sun just like a plant’s greenhouse and it acts somehow the same. Without the green house effect, the Earth would be about 60ºF (Fahrenheit) colder and the Earth is currently about 1ºF warmer than usual. As the green house effect may make you think that it is a horrible thing we can do without, we can’t, as it makes the Earth warm enough for humans to live but too much of anything is never good.
· Some may be asking, so what’s the big deal? It’s just the climate going up by 1ºF only, but even a slight temperature change can change the Earth. The last ice age, which was about 18,000 years ago, was just 7ºF lower than the temperature today, so just a little change can melt the total ice age. If you still don’t get it, think of it like not brushing your teeth for one day and is fine but not brushing your teeth for months will make a cavity, so the Earth’s temperature increases by a little on a day, big deal it’ll just go back to normal after a few days, but if it goes on ,the Earth would become hotter and hotter everyday.
· Warmer climates in cold countries would be welcome as more crops could be grown but too much heat will cause heat stress and may become a serious condition if not treated, you will get heat stress only when there is a very hot climate around you everyday, so imagine every single of us having heat stress; we would all die sooner or later as hospitals do not have so many vacancies.
· Weather describes whatever is happening outdoors in a given place at a given time. Weather is what will happen from minute to minute. The weather can change a lot within a very short time. For example, it may rain for an hour and then become sunny and clear. Weather is what we hear about on the television news every night. Weather includes daily changes in precipitation, barometric pressure, temperature, and wind conditions in a given location.
· Climate describes the total of all weather occurring over a period of years in a given place. This includes average weather conditions, regular weather sequences (like winter, spring, summer, and fall), and special weather events (like tornadoes and floods). Climate tells us what it's usually like in the place where you live.

Sources:
http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/kidspage.cfm#Q1
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/cc.html


Done By: Zi Guang & Chuan Han

Link:

Dear Readers,
Thanks to Xin Yu, we've got a website with a 100 ways to save the Earth. The website is
http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm . If you find anything wrong about the website, please kindly email us and also approach any members of the recycling team if your mail is not replied.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Ming Qian

Global Warming

What is global warming?
Global warming is gases that get stuck in the atmosphere. These gases let all the sunlight in and only some out.

Causes
Global Warming is caused by many things. The causes are split up into two groups, man-made or anthropogenic causes, and natural causes.

Natural Causes

Natural causes are causes created by nature. One natural cause is a release of methane gas from arctic tundra and wetlands. Methane is a greenhouse gas. A greenhouse gas is a gas that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere. Another natural cause is that the earth goes through a cycle of climate change. This climate change usually lasts about 40,000 years.

Man-made Causes

Man-made causes probably do the most damage. There are many man-made causes. Pollution is one of the biggest man-made problems.Burning fossil fuels is one thing that causes pollution. Fossil fuels are fuels made of organic matter such as coal or oil. When fossil fuels are burned they give off a green house gas called CO2. Also mining coal and oil allows methane to escape.How does it escape?Methane is naturally in the ground. You have to dig up the earth a little to mine oil and coal. When you dig up the fossil fuels, you dig up the methane as well.Another major man-made cause of Global Warming is population. More people means more food, and more methods of transportation, right? That means more methane because there will be more burning of fossil fuels, and more agriculture. Now you are probably thinking, "Wait a minute, you said agriculture is going to be damaged by Global Warming, but now you're saying agriculture is going to help cause Global Warming?" Well, have you ever been in a barn filled with animals and you smell something terrible? You're smelling methane. Another source of methane is manure. Because more food is needed, we have to grow more food. Animals like cows are a source of food which means more manure and methane. Another problem with the increasing population is transportation. More people means more cars, and more cars means more pollution. Also, many people have more than one car.Since CO2 contributes to global warming, the increase in population makes the problem worse because we breathe out CO2. Also, the trees that convert our CO2 to oxygen are being demolished because we're using the land that we cut the trees down from as property for our homes and buildings. We are not replacing the trees (an important part of our eco system), so we are constantly taking advantage of our natural resources and giving nothing back in return.

Prevention

-Recycle newspapers, glass bottles, tin cans, and magazines.

- Reuse your shopping bag plastic instead of getting new ones each time you go to the market.

- Place a brick or something heavy into a plastic bag and place it into your toilet drum. This will cause it to fill faster and use less water each time you flush.

- Donate your unwanted clothes.

- Turn off the faucet when you are brushing your teeth.

- Turn off electrical devices (lights, fans, tv, computers, etc.) when they are not in use.

- Use “Energy Efficient” appliances. They will save you about a third on their energy bill with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions, without sacrificing features, style or comfort

- Check for leaks (toilets, faucets, pipes, irrigation systems, etc.).

-Install a low flow shower head

- Ride a bicycle instead of driving if is short distance.

- Have showers instead of baths.

- Plant native and/or drought tolerant plants. Some grasses, ground covers, shrubs and trees do not need to be watered as frequently.

Consequences

If global warming happens ,the temperature all over the world will rise and the ice around the North and South Poles may melt.This will result in more water in seas and it will lead to rising sea level.

Contributed by Cheryl

Oh no! Another species is in danger!

Click to enlarge picture

More about the ozone layer

The ozone layer is like a humongous umbrella. It protects us from the sun's ultra violet rays. There are actually more attackers of the ozone layer and not just only the gases below. Some are caused by the aircraft engines which release nitrogen oxide. The space shuttle also releases gas hydrogen chloride when the space shuttle is being launched.

Earth Letters

Dear Earth,
Humans are said to be wise, but foolishly pollute the environment. I seriously do not know why! Thank You for your kindness and at the same time I apologise. Sorry to have you suffer! You are nice to us! You provide everything for us! I would rather be one of those prehistoric human than a a human today because humans in the past lives live in caves and do not destroy the environment but they would rather, cut down trees to provide them with wood and space to build homes in. I am so very soory! I guarantee you with my life that I will stop pollution! I simply love the environment but I am so sad to see nature destroyed! I do not like the modern conveniences in our daily lives! Because if we do that, the rare and precious Earth will be destroyed! People take Nature for granted! I am so angry! I will show you my sincerity by reminding my classmates to treasure our precious resources- Mother Nature and Earth. I, swear that I, Zhu Xinyu will never destroy the Earth and Nature. Instead, I will be an environmentalist to promote people to be "Eco-conscious" If I do not do that or waste resources, I will be striked by lightning and die of a terrible death. I will also do my best in saving the environment. If I did not get to help, I will never rest in peace! My dream is to save you!

Poem:
The endangered planet is coming!
All the animals are running!
Trees are burning down!
The world is becoming a town!
Stop! Stop! You don`t know what you are doing!
You are doing a terrible thing!
The Earth will be dying in a few years' time!

Sincerely,
Xinyu

Dear Earth,
It is a pleasure to meet, or write to you in person. I would like to talk about the acts of we humans do to you, both good and bad.Actually, I am very angry when I heard about global pollution issues. You must be hurt. I feel sorry for you, but we are doing the best we can. Pollution, pollution and more pollution-a word that makes me and you mad. In Indonesia, few years back, there was haze all over it. It affected other countries too, like Singapore. I was coughing and the air was not fresh. What makes it worse is that it destroys your biome, the forest, the lungs of Earth, which are your lungs! I can feel your pain; it feels like having asthma attacks, like I do. It burns, it hurts, and it is burnt for land! How selfish are we! How I hope they did not do it! Such large areas were burnt! There is also another major pollution happening all around you: littering. We should not litter. Trash can be thrown into trash bins when you see them. I was thinking,”Why can’t people NOT litter and why not throw it into litter bins when they see them? They can hold onto it, can’t they?”People or maybe scientists have been thinking and predicting the destruction of the world. They have said its 2012, but we can avoid it, can’t we? 6 degrees can change the world; we have to be very careful. There is a hole in your ‘skin’, what we call the ozone layer.We can save this planet with the three ‘R’s, “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!”Reduce by not buying items we don’t need, it can reduce trash. Reuse by being creative and eco-friendly! We can reuse items or modify them into other useful items. Recycling, it can be done with some order and recycling bins.If we were to recycle almost every item, how great can it be! You would not be covered with burnt patches or wearing a smelly suit of garbage, but be clean and as good as can be. It would be tough, but dreams can become reality. You are our homeland, we must protect you in any way.

Sincerely,
Jieheng

Earth Poem Winners

Dear 5A,
These are the winners for the competition.Enjoy the poems!
From,
Ming Qian

Oh, Pleasant Earth!

Oh, the Earth so green and clean!
Better than other planets you’ve seen.
Much nicer and suitable,
And very comfortable!
But we humans are so very mean.
We all made our planet terrible and spoilt
By ruining and spoiling its freshly made soil
We dump everywhere our litter
And made poor Earth very bitter
But still Earth's anger did not boil.
We must do something or Earth will soon fade,
By picking up all the rubbish that we made
The Earth will soon be beautiful,
And it won't be awful.
As it shone like a newly polished jade.

By Syazana

Save The Planet!
Save water as they are precious
Save electricity before it's too late
Save The Planet!

By Kei Xuan

Recycling materials.

DID YOU KNOW?
- Glass is recycled by being broken into small pieces and melted down to be used again in new bottles and jars.

- Paper is chopped into pieces and hot water is added to make a mushy pulp. It is cleaned, squashed, dried and pressed to make new sheets of paper.

- 80 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year, using up to eight per cent of the world's oil production.

- Switzerland recycles 91 per cent of its glass - the highest rate in the world. The UK recycles approximately 46 per cent of its glass.

- Every tree makes about 3000 pieces of A4 paper - and every tonne of paper recycled saves 13 trees.

- Only 5 per cent of electricity used in the UK is generated from green energy.

- There are 10 million mobile phones that could be recycled stored in UK homes.


WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? START SAVING THE EARTH!! (:
Contributed by Grace

Rainforests at risk

Forests are important.Scientists think that about ten million types of wildlife live on Earth.The rainforests are home to nearly two-thirds of these wildlife.We should save forests because they are home to many animals and they also release so much water into the air that the affect the climates of the tropics.Plants' roots draw up water from the ground.Most of the water evaporates from the surface of the leaves and mixes with the air.This helps form rain clouds.

Save the rainforests!

Types of Forests

Temperate Forests
Temperate forests grow further away from the equator,where the climate is cooler.Temperate forests have distinct seasons.Many of the trees are conifer trees.

Tropical forests
Tropical forests grow near the equater.The climate is hot and rain falls almost every day.The leaves of the rainforest trees have leaves all year round.

Cloud forests
Cloud forests are rainforests that cover the mountains in tropical regions.They are up in the clouds and thus, are called cloud forests.Trees in cloud forests are shorter than those in the tropical forests and they are deciduous trees.

How to save water

1. Do not turn on the tap when brushing your teeth,use a mug instead.
   


2. Use a piece of cloth and a pail of water to wash the car instead of spraying water from a hose.
   


3. Water plants using water that is collected in a pail when it rains


4. Do not turn on the water when soaping

What is acid rain?

Acid rain is formed by pollution in the air.When factories and power stations burn fuels,they release waste gases into the air.When the gases mix with water in the air,the rain will be polluted,and when it falls back onto earth,it is called acid rain.Acid rain harms plants and causes lakes and rivers unsuitable for plants and animals to live.

The ozone layer

The ozone layer helps to protect the Earth from the some of the sun's ultra violet rays from getting through the atmosphere.There are some chemicals that causes the holes in the ozone layer.
Here are some of the chemicals:

• Chlorofluorocarbons which were used in refrigerators in the past
• Methyl bomide, a pesticide which by 2005,is no longer used in the United States

What are the benefits for reducing?

There are many benefits for reducing.Here are a few:

• Saves natural resources
• Reduces toxicity of waste
• Reduces costs

If you would like to find out more about these three benefits for reducing,try this website:

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/reduce.htm

Recyling cans

Do you know what happens after you recycle a can?If not,read on!
After the cans are transported to the recycling centre,a machine will flatten the can into aluminum pieces.Next,the aluminum pieces are placed in an oven.The heat would remove the paint for your drinking can.Thirdly,the cans would be cleaned.Next,the aluminum pieces are placed into an extremely hot furnace.The aluminum will melt.The molten or melted aluminum will pe poured into molds and these molds are long,flat,empty containers.After it cools,it will take the shape of the containers(ingots).A machine will then smoothen and flatten the ingot.Lastly,the aluminum is thin and hard enough to be rolled up and called a coil.
After that last step,the coil would be able to be made into soda cans,pots,cars and pans!

Why do we recycle?

Recycling is a way of collecting and recycling materials.We should also reuse old papers or old containers.We need to cut down trees to make paper,but if we use the other side of the used paper,which is blank,we are recycling.

Earth Day

Enjoy this news taken from http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/studentnews/04/21/transcript.wed/index.html#cnnSTCVideo