The Green Planet We can Have

What is Causing Global Warming?

This chapter might seem similar to the chapter after this one (Other ways Global Warming is Created), but the main difference is that Other ways Global Warming is Created is about little things that humans do which eventually build up to cause global warming. But this chapter is about the main reason global warming is caused, cars. I'm going to include a story from my childhood in that took place many years ago. This includes dialogue, but not the exact dialogue, because I can't remember the exact dialogue. However, I do remember everything else from that day when I was 4.

I was in the car driving to school with my dad in his Toyota. I keep directing my eyes to the backseat window at the place where the tint was peeling of.

I was imagining making up a movie on having everything being alive. I was imagining telephone wires singing and dancing. I was also imagining the trees with mouths that gave positive encouragement to everyone.

"Daddy, what do trees do?" I inquired.

"They breath in the air that we breath out," dad said. He hit the brakes and the car stopped in front of stoplight. Dad continued, "We breath out something called carbon dioxide, and the trees breath in carbon dioxide. We breath in oxygen, and the trees breath out oxygen."

"Oh," I replied, "so it's like a seesaw. It all balances out."

"Yup. It all balances out," Dad echoed, probably not wanting me to get worried about global warming at my early age.

I tossed this idea around in my head for a minute, and then returned to thinking about singing telephone wires.

This was the first time I learned about global warming. And my little 4 year old self was right. Or partly right. Life on earth is like a seesaw. All living animals breath in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide. Trees do the opposite. But humans are tipping the scale. The whole earth is turning upside down. But how are humans tipping the scale?

Cars emit greenhouse gases like Co2. Those greenhouse gases warm up the earth, which causes global warming. I also mention this topic in the chapter 'Polar Bears' and the chapter 'What is Global Warming?' In both chapters, I explain the concept of global warming very briefly, and each of the chapters are more focused on certain topics. 'Polar Bears' is about (surprise, surprise), polar bears. In the chapter 'What is Global Warming?' I go deeper into explanation with global warming than I do in the chapter 'Polar Bears', but the chapter is more focused on encouraging people to stop global warming. If you haven't read those chapters yet, I suggest that you check them out.

The cars are causing global warming, due to the fact that they're emitting greenhouse gases when they drive. There are some types of cars, however, that reduce the impact on global warming. Hybrid electric cars, or electric cars, reduce the environmental impact. There is also the solar car, a car that isn't really out in the market yet, but people are trying to make one that is an affordable cost. So, why does the hybrid car and the electric car reduce the impact?

Because they don't run on gas. Well, the hybrid car does, but it runs on less gas than a regular car would. The gas is what's causing global warming, because there's Co2 in gas. Now, I know that by reading this chapter, the answer on how to stop global warming is pretty clear, but I still suggest checking out the chapter 'Ways to Help,' because it'll give out other ways to stop global warming.

Another way global warming happens is when people cut down trees. Trees breath in Co2 and let out oxygen (the air we breath). When people cut down trees, there is less trees to take in all the Co2.