What is climate change? Reading comprehension Name: ......................................... Date: ............................................ What is climate change? Climate change is the change in the Earth’s usual weather conditions over many years. The Earth’s atmosphere is heating up and human activity such as burning large amounts of fossil fuels, deforestation and the over-farming of animals and intense crop growing has accelerated the speed of this change. What is the Earth’s atmosphere? The atmosphere is a bit like a warm blanket that traps some of the heat and protects the Earth from freezing! The atmosphere contains small amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and water vapour. These are also known as greenhouse gases. For many years, the level of carbon dioxide stayed at roughly the same level in the Earth’s atmosphere, and this kept the temperature stable. This created just the right conditions for both the people and animals. The carbon cycle diagram shows how carbon is both used and made in the environment. However, since the Industrial Revolution 150 years ago, the temperature on Earth has increased by just over one degree Celsius. This may not seem like a lot but in a relatively short time we are already seeing changes to our planet. What causes global warming? Burning fossil fuels People discovered they could release energy by burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas. We use the energy to heat our buildings and generate electricity. Many cars, lorries, ships and planes rely on fossil fuels also. However, burning fossil fuels releases more of the gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. © www.teachit.co.uk 2022 109066 Page 1 of 5 What is climate change? Reading comprehension Food and farming With the world population increasing, more land is needed for homes, crops and animals. Farm animals or livestock, such as cows and sheep, are bred intensively to produce dairy and meat. They add another greenhouse gas called methane to the atmosphere from their burping and farting! Unfortunately, like carbon dioxide, methane traps the heat on Earth and adds to the greenhouse effect. Modern farming methods also mean that soil is churned up repeatedly allowing any trapped carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Methane is also found in the flooded paddy fields that are used to grow rice. Deforestation Around 15 billion trees are cut down every year to clear land for farming and to provide wood. This means there are now fewer trees to absorb the carbon dioxide into their leaves. Dead trees are regularly razed to the ground which sadly releases more carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. How does climate change affect the Earth? Oceans soak up the heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and become warmer, which upsets the balance of nature in our seas. Habitats like coral reefs are dying in warmer waters with many animals and plants losing their homes. In the Artic and Antarctic, glaciers are melting and ice sheets are slipping faster into the water. Polar bears and penguins struggle to feed and breed as the ice disappears. Also, whales and other sea life who eat the krill in the ice sheets are finding their food supply vanishing. The melting ice also releases any trapped methane into the atmosphere, adding to the greenhouse effect. The melting ice is causing sea levels to rise, and rising tides threaten the eggs of turtles that lay eggs on the beach. Many low-lying countries such as the Maldives are at risk of disappearing under the sea if temperatures continue to rise and the Arctic ice melts. Atmosphere changes also cause currents in the oceans to shift making rain, drought and wind more extreme. What can we do to help? Everyone can make a difference; even a small change can help our planet. We can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and use renewable or green energy to heat our homes and buildings. Renewable energy sources that use the power of the sun, the power of the wind and the tides and the waves never run out and can be used forever. We can respect nature and look after the soil, the trees and the oceans. To lower our carbon footprint we can plant trees, eat less meat and use less energy. We can all choose to recycle, reduce and reuse. This means choosing recyclable materials, buying fewer things and making less waste by choosing to reuse, resell or pass on our used items. © www.teachit.co.uk 2022 109066 Page 2 of 5 What is climate change? Name: ......................................... Date: ............................................ Reading comprehension Use the text entitled ‘What is climate change?’ to answer the following questions. 1. Give three causes of climate change. ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 2. Why is the Earth’s atmosphere a bit like ‘a warm blanket’? ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 3. Find three examples of greenhouse gases. ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 4. What are the three fossil fuels? ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 5. Give two ways in which farming contributes to climate change. ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 6. Which word is used to describe the cutting down of trees? ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 7. How many trees are cut down every year? ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 8. Find three ways in which climate change is affecting the planet. ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ © www.teachit.co.uk 2022 00000 Page 3 of 5 What is climate change? 9. Why are countries such as the Maldives at risk from climate change? ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 10. What is renewable energy? Give two examples. ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 11. Explain in your own words what climate change is. ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 12. Share one or two choices you make or can make to help reduce your carbon footprint. ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ © www.teachit.co.uk 2022 00000 Page 4 of 5 What is climate change? Reading comprehension - answers 1. Give three causes of climate change. Accept answers such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, intensive farming, farming of sheep and cattle for meat. 2. Why is the Earth’s atmosphere a bit like ‘a warm blanket’? Accept answers that show an understanding of the atmosphere as a protective layer around the Earth which stops it from freezing. 3. Find three examples of greenhouse gases. Methane, carbon dioxide and water vapour. 4. What are the three fossil fuels? Oil, coal and gas. 5. Give two ways in which farming contributes to climate change. Accept the clearance of land for sheep and cows to graze, the methane produced by sheep and gas, intensive or modern farming methods that disturb the soil. 6. What word is used to describe the cutting down of trees? Deforestation. 7. How many trees are cut down every year? Around 15 billion. 8. Find three ways in which climate change is affecting the planet. Accept: warmer oceans that upset both plant and animal habitats; melting glaciers; rising sea levels; extreme weather patterns. 9. Why are countries such as the Maldives at risk from climate change? Rising sea levels from the melting glaciers threaten countries like the Maldives to disappear. 10. What is renewable energy? Give two examples. Renewable energy uses the power of the sun, the power of the wind and the tides and the waves. It never runs out and can be used forever. 11. Explain in your own words what climate change is. Accept answers that show an understanding of Earth warming up and the effect this has on animal and plant habitats, as well as humans with rising sea levels and extreme weather. 12. Share one or two choices you make or can make to help reduce your carbon footprint. Accept answers that show an understanding of how to do this e.g. reduce the use of fossil fuels; reduce, reuse and recycle; eat less meat; plant more trees. Image credit © J. Roff, Bleached branching coral (Acropora sp.) at Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, 2005, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30432059 © www.teachit.co.uk 2022 00000 Page 5 of 5
