Lesson 25 — Activity 1: Environmental Issues

Countries around the world emit greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere that cause global warming and climate change. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the earth's atmosphere, just as the glass of a greenhouse keeps warm air inside. Human activity increases the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, contributing to a warming of the earth's surface. This is called the greenhouse effect.

Click on the Play button below to watch a video on the greenhouse effect.

Over the past 200 years in particular, humans have released greenhouse gases into the atmosphere primarily from burning fossil fuels. As a result, more heat is being trapped and the temperature of the planet is increasing. Sea levels are rising as Arctic ice melts, and there are changes to the climate, such as more severe storms and heat waves. All of this impacts the environment, the economy, and human health.

Global warming is primarily caused by burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are made from the remains of ancient plants and animals, buried deep inside the earth for millions of years. Over a long, long time, heat and pressure have turned these remains into the fossil fuels that we call coal, oil, and natural gas.

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Alberta Oil Sands

         

Alberta is Canada's number one oil-producing province, as Alberta's oil sands are one of the largest oil reserves in the world. The oil sands emit a very large amount of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. Therefore, it is important that we are environmentally responsible when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Canadians have a huge appetite for energy. Canada makes up less than one half of one percent of the world's population, but is the world's eighth largest producer of greenhouse gases (702 million tonnes in 2011). In other words, the average Canadian produces four times the global average level of emissions – 23.6 tonnes per person, per year.

However, our country has a plan to drastically reduce those numbers. Canada plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Canada's key strategy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be to reduce the wasteful burning of oil and coal. If we succeed, Canadian demand for these fossil fuels will drop. This means oil-rich Alberta may have to diversify its economy more fully, rather than just relying on the unlimited expansion of the oil sands. You will learn more about alternate energy sources in the next lesson.

Digging Deeper!