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The Earth is very slowly getting warmer.

Why is this happening?

Does it matter?

What can we do about it?

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The Earth is slowly getting warmerbecause of the way we humans live

We use a lot of electric

power in our daily

lives.

Our factories use a

lot of energy.

More and more

people drive around

in bigger cars.

Lots of trees are

chopped down every

day.

Farmers raise large numbers of sheep

and cattle.

But how do these

activities cause the Earth

to become warmer?

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It is surrounded by air.

We know air contains oxygen and a lot of nitrogen.

Did you know air also contains a small amount of

what scientists call "greenhouse gases"?

Let’s take a look at the Earth . . .

Somesunlight isbounced backinto space

Less heatis able to

bereleased

into space

Extra heatis kept in

the air by"greenhouse

gases"produced

fromhumanactivity

Someheat is

naturallykept in by

gases in theair like watervapour

These aregreenhouse

gasesScientists tell us that air has:

21% oxygen

78% nitrogen

0.1% - 2% water vapour in the air and as clouds

0.036% carbon dioxide (CO2), and tiny amounts of other gases,

including methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).

Some heat isreleased intospace

}

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Where do the most important gSome carbon dioxide stays in the air

for a long time, some is storedin plants, plankton and

seashells. Somecarbon dioxide

dissolves inseawater.

N A T U R A L P R O C E S S

Plants soakup carbondioxide from

the air and useit to make sugars,

oils and proteins.

When plants dieand decay, theyrelease carbondioxide again.

If we plant and protect more forests aroundthe world, there will be more carbon dioxidestored in plants and trees instead of in the air.

Did youknow that one tonneof CH4 has the same

global warming effect as23 tonnes of C02

Why do sheep andcattle

burpm

ethane(CH

4 )?

It comeswhen the bacteria

that live inside theirstomachs turn the grass

into special chemicalsthat help produce milk,meat and wool. Doing

this also producesmethane.

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t greenhouse gases come from

H U M A N A C T I V I T YPeople burn fossil fuels suchas oil, coal and gas topower factories, andto make electricityto heat ourhomes.

Treessoakup carbondioxidefrom the airand store it as carbon. Whentrees are cut down and burnt, CO2 is releasedback into the air.

Fossil fuelscome from

buried forestsfrom long ago.

Car and truck enginesrelease large quantities of carbon

dioxide (CO2) into the air. The bigger theengines, the more CO2 they release.

Every day millionsof cows and sheepin New Zealandare burpingmethane (CH4)into the air.

thatgreenhouse

gases from cars,factories, farm

animals and clearingforests have been largely

responsible for causing theearth to slowly warm

up in the last 50 years.

Carbon dioxide is beingreleased faster than

it is being storedagain, so lotsof it stays inthe air

MO

STS

C IE N

T IST S

B E L I E V E . . .CO2 = carbondioxide

CH4 = methane,N20 = nitrous

oxide

REMEMBER

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The greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun and act likean invisible blanket that makes the air warmer. If we putmore greenhouse gases into the air the blanket becomesthicker. The Earth will become warmer and the climate willchange.

Why do

we need

greenhouse

gases?

Greenhouse gases help

keep the Earth’s heat

from the sun. If we

didn’t have any

greenhouse gases, the

Earth would be too cold

to live on, like mars.

But if we keep

putting more

greenhouse gases

into the air, the

air will get even

warmer, and the

climate will

change.

What will this mean forour grandchildren andgreat-grandchildren?

>>>>

Every year there are larger amounts of greenhouse

gases being put into the air:

The numbers of cars, factories and people keep on growing.

In 50 years time there may be twice asmuch carbon dioxide (C02) in the air asthere was 300 years ago.

Scientists estimate that the averagetemperature will rise between1.40C and 5.80C in the next100 years.

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Our weather could become more extreme – some places could havemore droughts while all places could have more heavy rain, andfloods. Heavy rainfall could flood towns and cities. Floods in low-lying river valleys could damage homes, farm animals, and foodcrops.

The sea level will rise - oceans will spread out and ice caps willmelt and end up in the sea - many of our beaches could bedamaged or lost.

There could be more water shortages in easternparts of New Zealand such as Hawke’s Bay,Marlborough, and Canterbury.

There could be more pest and disease problemsfor our animals, plants, and even ourselves.Diseases may spread from warmer climates.Tropical mosquitoes carrying dengue fever may reach a warmer New Zealand.

A warmer climate could be better for the growing of somecrops, and bad for others. Plants are used to the climate theylive in now. Perhaps they won’t survive if the climate changes.What will happen to the birds and insects that depend on them?

Warmer winters will reduce the amount of electricityneeded to heat homes. But warmer summersmay increase the need to cool homeswith air conditioning.

thatworldwide, more

people will be worseoff if we keep releasing

large amounts ofgreenhouse gases into the air

and causing the climate tochange. In the long run, climate

change will have severeimpacts on many partsof the world.

MO

ST

SC

I EN

T IS T

SS AY

. . .

What could happento NZ’s climate in

the future?

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Use cars less often – travel with friends, take a bus,

ride a bike, walk.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle – re-use bags and

containers, compost food scraps.

Use less electricity – turn the light off when you leave

a room, put on a sweatshirt and turn off/down the

heater, shut doors and windows to keep heat in.

Plant more trees – trees

store carbon in their

trunks, branches,

leaves and roots.

New Zealand needs a stable climate for farming,food growing, and other money-makingactivities. If we work with other countries

to help reduce theamount of greenhouse

gases in the air, we will behelping to keep the climatestable for these activities.

Think of all the ways you usetransport and electricity each day. Can you useother forms of transport and use less electricity?This will save your family money on power bills andpetrol use.

Can you:

Ask at your local

supermarket if

they have

energy–

efficient light

bulbs.

Turning your lights andheaters off when they arenot required will reduce

your power bill

The biggest

amount of

carbon dioxide

in New Zealand

comes from

transport and

from making

electricity to

heat homes.

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What doesthis mean?

The Government is deciding what it can do about climatechange. It plans to ratify (formally sign) an agreement with

other governments around the world to reduce the amountof greenhouse gases in the Earth’s air. This agreement is called

the Kyoto Protocol. Formallysigning this Protocol is

an important firststep for countries

to reduce theirgreenhousegases.

Each country like New Zealand takingthis first step (ratifying the Protocol),will be given a greenhouse gas"reduction target".

This is like a goal to aim for.

New Zealand’s target is to getgreenhouse gases released from cars,

factories, and farm animals, back downto 1990 levels by about 2010.

New Zealand is

intending to

ratify (formally

sign) the Kyoto

Protocol in

September

2002.

>>>>

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To reach our "reduction target" by about 2010, we wouldneed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in theair back down to what they were in 1990. At the momentNew Zealand’s greenhouse gases are about 8% above what

they were in 1990.

Remember, trees soak up carbon dioxide (CO2)from the air, so planting more forests would be

one way to help us achieve our target.

It is important to understand that

planting trees is only part of what

we need to do. Ratifying the Protocol

would mean that people would also

be encouraged to:

be more aware of how often they

use their cars.

reduce, re-use, recycle and compost.

be more energy efficient in their

homes, at school and at work.

GREENHOUSE GASES ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE SLOWLY So if wekeep releasing

more greenhousegases, it will beharder for us to

reach ourtarget

Newsflash!

There are even more ways to

achieve our reduction target!!

One is through “carbon trading”.

To find out more on how carbon trading works,

please look at our website

www.climatechange.govt.nz

under “School Resources”.

concept2_9/11 11/12/01 9:14 AM Page 11

If

NewZe

alan

dra

tifi

esth

e

Protocol…

Published by the New Zealand Climate Change Programme

PO Box 10-362, Wellington, New Zealand • http://www.climatechange.mfe.govt.nz

ME number 417 • ISBN number 0-478-24046-5

The Government wants to know what you think about climatechange, and what we should do about greenhouse gases.Should we join with other countries and promise to follow

rules that will help to slow down changes in the world’s climate?

If we do, would you and your family be prepared to helpNew Zealand reduce greenhouse gases, even though it

might cost you a little more in some areas,or mean that you have to do somethings differently?

You can have your sayon the tear-off feed-backpage. The Government encourages you todiscuss climate change issues with your friendsand family, and would like to hear what you think.

Factory owners may have to pay iftheir factories keep releasing a lot of CO2.

The price of petrol and electricity may go up a little.

There will be money-making opportunities for people withclimate-friendly products and services.

Scientists are trying to find special medicines and grass typesthat help sheep and cattle burp less CH4 and produce more

milk, wool, and meat. This benefits the farmer and the animal.

>>>>

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Name/Class:

Teacher’s name:

School:

Town/City:

1. How do you think climate change will affect you and your family?

2. The Government wants to ratify (formally sign) the Kyoto Protocol to help

reduce greenhouse gases in the air. Do you think this is a good idea? Why?

What does your family think?

3. Would you be prepared to do your bit to reduce greenhouse gases once the

Kyoto Protocol is formally agreed to? What would you be prepared to do?

What would your family be prepared to do?

4. Do you have any thing else you want to say about climate change and the

Kyoto Protocol?

The New Zealand Government is interested in hearingfrom you. What are your thoughts/ideas about theGovernment ratifying the Kyoto Protocol?

FEEDBACK FORM

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

The Kyoto Protocol is aninternational agreementthat sets up a plan toreduce greenhouse gasesand to reduce the risk ofextreme weather such asdroughts, storms andfloods.

The Protocol opens upopportunities for people tomake money bydeveloping climate-friendly products andservices.

The cost of petrol andelectricity may go up alittle.

Using cars and electricityless often will reducegreenhouse gas emissionsand save you money onyour power bill and petroluse.

The Protocol encouragespeople to plant forests andtrade "carbon credits".

Fill out this form, tear it off and send it away to the New Zealand Climate Change Programme in the freepost

envelope provided in your school’s Climate Change Consultation Kit. We would prefer to have your feedback in

by the end of term (December 21 2001), but if it is more convenient, the final date for feedback is February 28

2002. For more information on climate change, visit our website: www.climatechange.govt.nz

concept2_9/11 11/12/01 9:14 AM Page 13

Consultation

New Zealand Climate Change Programme

Ministry for the Environment

PO Box 10-362

Wellington

turn meover

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www.climatechange.govt.nz