Climate scientists around the world have conducted many experiments and collected data based on observable facts. The National Aeronauts and Space Administration, or NASA, has also gathered climate data. (CLICK HERE to check out NASA’s website!) They agree that the average temperature of the earth is rising because of human activities.

Even though 97% of scientists conclude climate change is happening, some people choose to believe climate change is not real. (CLICK HERE to view the #FactsFirst on NASA’s website.) Things like this happen sometimes because there is a lot of information on the internet, and some of the information is not true. There are websites, social media pages and videos on which people write fictional stories or opinions. They are are so convincing that many people think these stories and opinions are facts.

That’s why it is so important to help spread the word about important environmental issues. You are smart. You know better than to just believe whatever you hear or read. If someone told you the sky is purple, would you take their word for it? YOU can make a BIG difference in the world by finding #FactsFirst before educating other kids and adults.

Let’s turn on those science brains to find out what is making temperatures increase in our world. All evidence points to the guilty culprit: Carbon Dioxide (and other Greenhouse Gases). The amount of carbon dioxide gas in our air is increasing.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the same gas that we breathe out, it creates the bubbles in soda and puts out fires when released from fire extinguishers. CO2 is a dense gas. That means all the molecules (or the stuff that makes up CO2) are packed together to create a very thick, tightly packed gas. Our world has an atmosphere that has different layers of gas with different densities.

As our skies are flooded with more and more carbon dioxide, the dense gas traps in more heat from the sun, making our world hotter. Too much carbon dioxide creates a greenhouse effect. That means the thick CO2 gas acts just like a trap that holds onto the heat from the sun.

It’s nice to visit tropical islands or live in warm climates. However, when temperatures increase too much throughout the world, it causes problems in the environment. We know that heat is a form of energy. With higher temperatures, we experience more heat waves, drought and storms, hurricanes, flooding, and other dangerous weather patterns. There are even more parasitic insects (like ticks and mosquitos) that can spread disease (Lyme disease, West Nile virus, etc.)

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns us that rising levels of CO2 create long-lasting changes in our world, including: temperatures getting hotter around the world, rising ocean water, changes in weather and rain patterns, changes in ecosystems and habitats, and negative effects to animals. When the temperature on land and in the ocean gets warmer, people are also suffer consequences. For example, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America explains how warmer climates affect pollen, mold and poison ivy. CLICK HERE for AAFA’s website, and CLICK HERE to read at report from the National Wildlife Federation and AAFA that explains.