CARBON CYCLE
*Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide is used every day.
*It is needed for plants and animals to survive.
*The sun is needed to produce photosynthesis so oxygen can successfully enter the atmosphere.
*Forged in the heart of aging stars, carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the Universe.
*Two other important processes are fossil fuel burning and changing land use.
*In fossil fuel burning, coal, oil, natural gas, and gasoline are consumed by industry, power plants, and cars.
*Changing land use is a broad term which encompasses a host of essentially human activities. They include agriculture, deforestation, and reforestation.
*This picture was found here: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/CarbonCycle/
Climate Change
*Climate change is about everyone from across the world.
*It's not just about melting ice caps, it's about everything industrial.
*Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.4°F over the past century and is going to rise at least two more by the next century.
*Humans have produced a major increase in carbon dioxide over the past 40 years.
Sun's Energy
*Light and heat from the sun create most of the life on Earth.
*Only the half billionth of the sun's energy reaches Earth.
*The Sun's energy is highly organized and carried by photons.
*The sun is a medium, yellow star, consisting primarily of hydrogen at temperatures high enough to cause nuclear fusion.
*This energy provides for the immense diversity of life forms that are found on the Earth.
*It is needed for plants and animals to survive.
*The sun is needed to produce photosynthesis so oxygen can successfully enter the atmosphere.
*Forged in the heart of aging stars, carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the Universe.
*Two other important processes are fossil fuel burning and changing land use.
*In fossil fuel burning, coal, oil, natural gas, and gasoline are consumed by industry, power plants, and cars.
*Changing land use is a broad term which encompasses a host of essentially human activities. They include agriculture, deforestation, and reforestation.
*This picture was found here: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/CarbonCycle/
Climate Change
*Climate change is about everyone from across the world.
*It's not just about melting ice caps, it's about everything industrial.
*Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.4°F over the past century and is going to rise at least two more by the next century.
*Humans have produced a major increase in carbon dioxide over the past 40 years.
Sun's Energy
*Light and heat from the sun create most of the life on Earth.
*Only the half billionth of the sun's energy reaches Earth.
*The Sun's energy is highly organized and carried by photons.
*The sun is a medium, yellow star, consisting primarily of hydrogen at temperatures high enough to cause nuclear fusion.
*This energy provides for the immense diversity of life forms that are found on the Earth.