Damage to the air, sea, rivers, or land caused by chemicals, waste, and harmful gases
Pollution
Dry, barren land that forms as temperatures rise and rainfall decreases
Desert
Chemicals used in farming to kill insects and pests, considered a pollutant
Pesticides
Wet, often tropical forests being cleared to make room for farming, destroying ecosystems
Rainforests
Energy that we get from the sun.
Solar energy
The overall cleanliness or harmfulness of the air we breathe
Air quality
The gradual increase in the Earth's temperature caused by trapped greenhouse gases
Global warming
Nutrients added to soil to help crops grow, but which can pollute waterways
Fertilizers
A species of which no living members exist anymore
Extinct
A layer of gases that protects us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet light
Ozone layer
Rain that is harmful to the environment because it contains acids from factory smoke
Acid rain
Frozen water at the North and South Poles that may melt due to global warming
Ice (at the poles)
Dangerous discarded materials that contaminate the environment
Toxic waste
A species at risk of dying out completely in the near future is ___________.
endangered
Harmful gases produced when we burn fuels that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere
Greenhouse gases
A brown layer of haze that hangs over cities on days with little wind
Smog
When we use a material again to make something new instead of throwing it away.
Recycling
A fossil fuel burned in power stations that produces large amounts of greenhouse gases
Coal
Natural environments where animals and plants live, often threatened by human activity
Habitats
Radiation from the sun that can harm animals and cause skin cancer in humans
Ultraviolet light
Emissions from cars that are the main cause of poor air quality.
Exhaust fumes
The height of ocean surfaces, which may rise as polar ice melts
Sea levels
Substances that cause pollution, including waste, chemicals, and harmful gases
Pollutants
Areas of land covered in trees and vegetation that are being destroyed.
Woodlands
A serious disease in humans that can result from exposure to ultraviolet light
Skin cancer