Video Transcript
Which of the following is a
possible negative effect of climate change? (A) More frequent earthquakes. (B) Greater levels of air
pollution. (C) Sea levels rising. (D) More acid rain. (E) Deforestation of rain
forests.
In this question, we need to
identify the answer choice that is a possible negative effect of climate change. Climate change is a change in
Earth’s climate over time caused by human activity. Some human activity changes the
composition of Earth’s atmosphere and Earth’s natural climate variability and
patterns. Different parts of the Earth have
different climates. These climates are changing mostly
because of global warming. Global warming has increased the
global air temperature and the temperature of the water in the oceans. Global warming has also increased
the number of extreme weather events, such as droughts, hurricanes, and floods.
Since we know that climate change
is mainly caused by global warming, we need to identify the answer choice that
describes a negative effect related to either increased global temperature or
extreme weather events. Climate change can lead to severe
weather events, but earthquakes tend to result from interactions of tectonic plates
in the Earth, not from climate. Changes in the climate are unlikely
to affect this natural process of the Earth, so we can eliminate answer choice
(A).
When humans burn fossil fuels, the
levels of air pollution increase. Some of these pollutants, like
nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, react with water in the atmosphere and form
acid rain. When humans remove trees from the
rainforest, there are fewer trees to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Greater levels of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere lead to global warming. Answer choices (B), (D), and (E)
are mainly caused by human activity. It’s unlikely that climate change
would directly increase air pollution, acid rain, or the removal of trees. So, we can eliminate these three
answer choices.
Scientists know that global warming
is causing an increase in Earth’s air and ocean temperatures. This increase in temperature is
causing the polar ice caps to melt and glaciers and ice sheets to shrink. As sea ice melts, sea levels
rise. Unfortunately, higher sea levels
destroy habitat for animals, such as polar bears and seals, and cause flooding in
other parts of the world.
In conclusion, a possible negative
effect of climate change is answer choice (C), sea levels rising.
