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If you want to learn more about these type of issues, click here to read an Encarta Encyclopedia article giving a detailed explanation of the Greenhouse Effect. It will open in a new window.

"Our atmosphere is under increasing pressure from greenhouse gases which threaten to change the climate and holes in the ozone layer which cause cancers in humans and animals." - The Earth Summit's Agenda 21, Chapter 9.

Most people rely on fossil fuels to live, which as you learnt in the section Current Situation, is responsible for two very serious environmental issues: global warming and acid rain. Other environmental problems, such as land reclamation and oil spills, are also associated with the mining and transporting of fossil fuels.

Global Warming
When fossil fuels are burnt, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. This gas contributes to what we call Greenhouse gases, which are heated up by the sun in the air and are causing the climates in our world to change. Known as global warming, this effect is melting polar ice caps and is causing the sea level to rise at 10 times its natural speed. Consider this: if the water levels carried on like this, whole countries might start disappearing!
It takes a lot of energy to live the way people in developed countries do. Did you know that the average American consumes 330 times as much energy as the average Ethiopian? With increasing energy being used, as people are buying more and more electronic equipment, and as the world's population is increasing, it is very important to find new, sustainable energy sources. Renewable energy is therefore a great alternative!

Acid Rain
The burning of fossil fuels releases into the air many other nasty gases like sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon, which combine with oxygen to form compounds known as oxides. When these oxides are released into the air, they react chemically with atmospheric water vapor, forming sulfuric, nitric, and carbonic acid. These acid-containing water vapors, which we call acid rain, enter the water cycle and can subsequently harm the ecology in forests, soils, lakes, and streams.
Some countries have taken steps to reduce emmissions of acid-producing oxides. As the US consumes the most fossil fuels, more than two times as much as the most populated country in the world, China, it was important that they took action against these emmisions. Instead of lowering fossil fuel consumption in favour of renewable energy resources, they opted for a "Clean Air Act", which required the removal of certain chemicals from fossil fuels before it was burnt, among other things.
However, while steps like this lessen pollution in the air, it doesn't provide the best solution.

This world is the only one we've got, and as humans it is our job to look after it and make sure it is there for future children of the world.

Click here to see what you can do to improve our planet.