Josh Sneideman - Climate Change: The Science Behind Melting Glaciers and Warming Oceans with Hands-On Science Activities

Titles in the Build It Yourself Accessible Science Set

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In memory of my loving father, Harvey Sneideman.

Joshua Sneideman

For Ella and Noah, may you live in a green world where science and all living things thrive.

Erin Twamley

Nomad Press

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2000 BCE: The Chinese first use coal as an energy source.

1754: Joseph Black discovers carbon dioxide.

1774: Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen.

1781: The stagecoach is the worldwide standard for passenger travel.

1800: Homes consume most of Americas energy.

1856: The first scientific paper on climate change is published by Eunice Foote.

1858: The first successful oil well in North America is established in Oil Springs, Ontario, Canada.

1882: The first hydroelectric dam is built by Thomas Edison near Niagara Falls in New York.

1883: The first solar cell is developed.

1890: The mass production of automobiles begins, creating a larger demand for gasoline.

1958: Scientists begin collecting data for carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere in Mauna Loa, Hawaii.

1958: Scientists publicly state that rising carbon dioxide levels from factories and automobiles are causing the atmosphere to warm, which is melting the polar ice caps and leading sea levels to rise.

1970: The first Earth Day is held in the United States on April 22.

1970: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is created to implement federal laws that protect the environment.

1979: The first solar panels are installed on the White House.

1991: The first offshore wind farm is built in Europe.

1992: The Energy Star label is introduced to identify energy-efficient appliances.

2013: Nearly 21.7 percent of electricity generated worldwide comes from noncarbon sources.

2016: Carbon dioxide measurements in the atmosphere pass 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human history.

2017: In reaction to President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate, more than 3,800 leaders from businesses, local governments, schools, and more pledge to continue climate action.

2018: Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg first goes on a school strike to protest lack of government action on the climate crisis. Her movement eventually goes global and includes 1 million strikers.

2019: The worlds population reaches 7.7 billion.

2019: Solar energy systems are located on more than 5,000 K12 schools in the United States.

August 2019: Iceland holds the first funeral for a glacier lost due to climate change.

WELCOME TO
SPACESHIP EARTH

Imagine our planet as a spaceship orbiting the sun in space. Just as a spaceship carries everything astronauts need to survive and thrive, our Spaceship Earth provides us with all the necessities for life on our planet. Welcome aboard Spaceship Earth!

When you watch a spaceship take off or look at photos of life inside a spacecraft, its easy to see that the spaceships passengers have to carry everything they need with them, including enough food, water, and fuel to last the entire flight. There are no grocery stores or gas stations in space! The ship also has to have systems to control both the temperature and the quality of the air, which have to be just right for the astronauts to survive.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Why is it important to track data for long periods of time instead of short periods of time?

WORDS TO KNOW

environment: everything in nature, living and nonliving, including plants, animals, soil, rocks, and water.

climate: the average weather conditions of a region during a long period of time. These conditions include temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, winds, sunshine, and cloudiness.

habitable: capable of supporting life.

climate change: a change in global climate patterns. In the twentieth century and beyond, climate change refers to the dramatic warming of the planet caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere primarily resulting from human activity.

fossil fuels: a source of energy that comes from plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. These include coal, oil, and natural gas.

migration: the movement of a large group of animals, such as birds, due to changes in the environment.

natural resource: a material or substance such as gold, wood, and water that occurs in nature and is valuable to humans.

carbon dioxide (CO2): a combination of carbon and oxygen that is formed by the burning of fossil fuels, the rotting of plants and animals, and the breathing out of animals or humans.

atmosphere: the mixture of gases surrounding a planet.

By thinking of Earth as a spaceship, you can begin to see how important it is to have fresh water to drink and clean air to breathe. Theres absolutely nowhere else we can find these essential things.

Our environment and our climate keep our home habitable. Whether you live in hot, dry New Mexico or cool, rainy Oregon, you depend on the earths systems to control the climates delicate balance.

Most of the earths systems are powered by the sun. The wind and water cycles bring rain that refills our freshwater sources while recycling the earths fresh air supply.

When large changes occur to the earths systems, our planet may experience CLIMATE CHANGE . Climate change is the WORLDWIDE shift in the earths WEATHER PATTERNS in response to burning FOSSIL FUELS .