Earth Systems
This Earth system includes gases like oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide
What is the atmosphere?
This gas is most responsible for human-caused climate change
What is carbon dioxide (CO₂)?
What is positive feedback?
This type of feedback loop makes a problem worse
This solution reduces the cause of climate change
mitigation
This type of food has the highest environmental impact
What is beef?
What are the hydrosphere and atmosphere?
When water evaporates from the ocean into the air, these two systems are interacting
This process traps heat in Earth’s atmosphere
What is the greenhouse effect?
What is a positive feedback loop?
Melting ice leading to more warming is an example of this
What is resource depletion?
This is when resources are used faster than they are replaced
This gas is released by cows and contributes to climate change
What is methane?
What are the biosphere and atmosphere?
When plants take in carbon dioxide from the air, these two systems are interacting
This is a long-term pattern in data
What is a trend?
This is when ocean water rises due to warming
What is sea level rise?
This group is most vulnerable to climate change
Who are low-income or coastal communities?
About this fraction of food is wasted globally
What is one-third (1/3)?
This system includes mountains, rocks, and soil that support plant growth
What is the geosphere?
When two variables increase together, this relationship is called
What is correlation?
This impact includes stronger storms and extreme weather
What are climate change impacts?
What are trade-offs?
This describes pros and cons of a decision
This sector uses about 70% of freshwater
What is agriculture?
Explain how all four Earth systems (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere) can interact during a rainstorm
(Atmosphere = clouds/rain, Hydrosphere = water, Geosphere = soil/land, Biosphere = plants/animals affected)
Give one piece of evidence that climate change is happening
Example: rising temperatures, melting ice, rising sea levels
Explain how melting ice leads to more warming
(Less reflection → more heat absorbed → more melting)
Explain why climate policy is difficult to implement
(Different countries, economy, priorities)
Explain one environmental impact of food production
Deforestation, water use, emissions, etc.)