The World Climate
Climate has a very important influence on plants, animals and humans and is different in different parts of the world. Some scientists think that the world is becoming hotter, because of the greenhouse effect. During the last 100 years people have produced a lot of carbon dioxide. This gas in the atmosphere works like glass in a greenhouse. It lets heat get in, but it doesn’t let much heat get out. So the atmosphere becomes warmer. Where does the carbon dioxide come from? People and animals breathe in oxygen, and breathe out carbon dioxide. We produce carbon dioxide when we burn things. Trees take this gas from the air, and produce oxygen. But in the last few years, people have cut down and burn big areas of rainforest. This means there are fewer trees, and, of course, more carbon dioxide! As we see the climate in different parts of the world changes a little from year to year. These changes can be dangerous for our planet, which needs protection. We know many of its secrets. Yet there is still much to learn.
For example to forecast the weather. All day and night, weathermen are collecting information from ships, planes, weather stations, and space stations. With the help of this information, they can understand what the weather will be like during the next few days. As a result of the weathermen’s work we learn about the weather. Although no two days will have exactly the same weather, some types of weather people can forecast. When a barometer shows high pressure, the weather will be calm. In winter it will be cold and frosty. In summer it usually means misty mornings and hot sunny days. When the barometer shows low pressure, look out for rain and strong winds.