Climate Basics
What is global warming?
The long-term increase in Earth's average temperature.
Which continent includes the Amazon rainforest?
South America.
What can happen to sea levels as land ice melts and oceans warm?
Sea levels rise.
Using solar panels instead of electricity from coal is mitigation or adaptation?
Mitigation.
Give one action families can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Use less energy, walk or cycle when practical, use public transport, or reduce waste.
Name one greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) or methane (CH₄).
Which continent is especially vulnerable to coral bleaching near the Great Barrier Reef?
Australia/Oceania.
What is coral bleaching?
When corals lose the algae that help nourish them, often due to unusually warm water.
Building flood barriers to protect a coastal city is mitigation or adaptation?
Adaptation.
Give one way a community can prepare for extreme heat.
Create cooling centers, provide shade and water, or establish heat alerts.
Name one human activity that increases greenhouse gases.
Burning fossil fuels, deforestation, or certain agricultural and industrial activities.
Name one climate-related problem affecting parts of Africa.
Drought, extreme heat, water stress, or flooding.
Name one way extreme heat can affect people.
It can cause heat illness, increase water demand, damage crops, or raise energy use.
Planting drought-resistant crops is mitigation or adaptation?
Adaptation
A community has less rain and frequent droughts. Name one adaptation strategy.
Collect rainwater, improve irrigation, conserve water, or grow drought-resistant crops.
How do greenhouse gases warm the planet?
They absorb and re-emit heat, trapping more energy in Earth's climate system.
How can warming glaciers in the Andes affect people in South America?
Glacier loss can threaten water supplies for communities, farming, and ecosystems.
How can drought affect farmers and food supplies?
It reduces water available for crops and livestock and can lower food production.
Explain the difference between mitigation and adaptation.
Mitigation reduces the causes of climate change; adaptation prepares for or reduces harm from its impacts.
A coastal community faces flooding from rising seas. Give one adaptation strategy.
Restore protective wetlands or mangroves where suitable, improve flood defenses, or plan safer building locations.
Why can reducing greenhouse gas emissions help many continents at once?
Greenhouse gases mix throughout the atmosphere, so reducing emissions helps limit global warming worldwide.
Why can two continents experience different effects from the same global warming trend?
They have different climates, geography, ecosystems, resources, and levels of vulnerability.
Explain how climate change can affect both wildlife and humans in the same region.
It can alter habitats and food sources for wildlife while also affecting human water, food, homes, and livelihoods.
A town restores forests to absorb carbon and creates an emergency plan for heat waves. Identify each strategy.
Restoring forests to absorb carbon is mitigation; the heat emergency plan is adaptation.
Why do we need both mitigation and adaptation to address climate change?
Mitigation limits future warming, while adaptation helps people and ecosystems cope with impacts already happening or expected.