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In Climate Change: The Facts Kate Ravilious presents a very carefully constructed argument in order to inform young readers about the issue of climate change and explain what can be done.
See if you can remember the key points of her argument by filling in the blanks in the 10 quotes provided here.
1: Twenty years ago global warming was a fringe subject joke scientific fact political hot potato ( fringe subject, political hot potato, joke, scientific fact ) . . . today global warming has become a political hot potato fringe subject scientific fact hot topic of discussion ( political hot potato, hot topic of discussion, fringe subject, scientific fact ) and the majority of scientists agree that it is impossible to do anything about it something that can be fixed very easily nothing to worry about a reality and here to stay. ( a reality and here to stay., nothing to worry about, something that can be fixed very easily, impossible to do anything about it )
2: Extra methane water vapour smoke carbon dioxide (CO2) ( carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, smoke, water vapour ) in the atmosphere enhances a natural process known as the greenhouse effect.
3: Over the past 100 years 200 years 500 years 50 years ( 500 years, 100 years, 50 years, 200 years ) mankind has increased the proportion of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere, primarily by burning fossil fuels. growing rice mining for cal farming cows ( burning fossil fuels., farming cows, growing rice, mining for cal )
4: Since 1958 scientists at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii have taken continuous measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The levels go up and down with the seasons, but overall they demonstrate there is nothing to worry about it is a natural process a relentless rise. a general fall in the levels ( a relentless rise., there is nothing to worry about, a general fall in the levels, it is a natural process )
5: . . . the rate of change we see today is exceptional: to be expected: frightening: normal: ( exceptional:, normal:, to be expected:, frightening: ) carbon dioxide levels have never risen so fast. By 2000 they were 17% higher than in 1959.
6: There is little doubt that nature aliens humanity mankind ( humanity, nature, mankind, aliens ) is responsible for the rapid rise in carbon dioxide levels. The rise in temperatures that has accompanied our industrial revoultion burning of fossil fuels evolution fossil fuel addiction ( fossil fuel addiction, burning of fossil fuels, industrial revoultion, evolution ) seems too much of a coincidence to be just chance.
7: Currently oceans and trees third world countries trees oceans ( oceans and trees, trees, oceans, third world countries ) are helping to mop up some of the heat by absorbing carbon dioxide, but eventually they will reach capacity and be unable to absorb more. At this point the world ocean atmosphere sky ( atmosphere, ocean, world, sky ) will take the full load, potentially pushing temperatures sky high.
8: Carbon dioxide is the worst the least harmful the main just one ( just one, the main, the worst, the least harmful ) of a number of greenhouse gases . . . methane ozone water vapour nitrous oxide ( methane, water vapour, nitrous oxide, ozone ) . . . is far more potent as a greenhouse gas, trapping 20 times as much heat as carbon dioxide.
9: Although average global temperatures are predicted to rise, this doesn't necessarily mean that we'll have hot summers it's going to just get hotter we'll be sitting in our deckchairs we will need to wear suncream ( we'll be sitting in our deckchairs, we'll have hot summers, it's going to just get hotter, we will need to wear suncream ) all year round. The extra energy . . . will need to find a release, and the result is likely to be more extreme weather. more wet weather cold weather a thunder storm ( more extreme weather., a thunder storm, more wet weather, cold weather )
10: Research shows that we are already committed to an average global temperature rise of nearly 10C 100C 1C, 50C ( 1C,, 10C, 50C, 100C ) lasting for at least the next 20 years 200 years 100 years 500 years. ( 500 years., 20 years, 100 years, 200 years )