Description

The carbon cycle is very important for the health of the planet. It provides plants with the ingredients they need to create food and the oxygen we need to breath. Carbon is naturally found in the soil and the ocean floor. It is also found in fossils which helps scientists identify how old their specimens are. It is an important chemical for all areas of life on land and in the sea. Too much of it, however, can be dangerous.

Humans are putting too much extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuels give us energy, like the gas that runs our cars or the power that runs our factories.

Usually, the ocean absorbs some of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the ocean cannot absorb it all and it gets stuck as a gas around the earth. This carbon dioxide creates a blanket covering the earth and causes it to slowly get warmer. This is called the Greenhouse Gas Effect.

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Task

How can you help? Brainstorm with your class and your friends a few ways that you can reduce the burning of fossil fuels in your daily life.

In a blog identify the things in your life that contribute to excessive carbon emissions. Brainstorm some ways that you can help reduce this carbon dioxide emission. Can you come up with a new alternative source of energy?

Once you have made a submission for the assignment, your badge will appear the next time you log-in!  

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Learning Objectives

To understand how excess carbon is being put into the environment by humans and to come up with creative solutions to help reduce the negative impact that burning fossil fuels has on the environment

Here are some of the ideas you might have come up with:

• Biking or walking instead of driving the car
• Buying local food and produce rather than items that are shipped from other countries
• Turn off your lights and electronic devices when you are not using them
• Rather than changing your thermostat in your house, layer up when it is cold or use a fan when it is hot
• Swap old incandescent light bulbs for the new compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). They use only 25% as much electricity to give the same light. They last ten times longer

There are many things that you can do in your daily life that can help reduce the amount of carbon going into the atmosphere. The important thing to do is make smart choices.

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