Our Atmosphere
Voices from Brazil:
"Climate change is the symptom of a catastrophe that is threatening
life on earth. It is a fact that, the use of science and technology in the service of more production and increased consumption
in an indiscriminate way, is making the planet’s temperature rise, mainly because of the carbon dioxide that comes from
cars and forest burning. this creates the greenhouse effect that provokes subtle, but catastrophic, increases in the temperature
of the planet."
Senator Cristovam Buarque (PDF-Federal District, Brasilia) Professor, University of Brasilia
Though Earth’s atmosphere is some 30 kilometers thick, it is actually a very thin coating. If the Earth was the size of a beach ball, the atmosphere would be thinner than a sheet of paper.
Composed of gases like nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor, the atmosphere sustains life and creates Earth’s climate. We have flourished in this climate, and now we are changing it.
Adapting to these changes will be difficult and expensive. We also may lose forever many species and ecosystems that have helped support human life. That’s why it’s crucial we learn more and act quickly, both personally and as nations.
