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Pathway sections
1
Introduction
2
Climate vs. Weather
3
The Carbon Cycle
4
A Changing Carbon Cycle
5
Our Changing Climate
6
What’s Next For Our Climate

Section 3 of 6

The atmosphere keeps the planet warm (but not too warm.)

The earth’s atmosphere maintains a balance by trapping just right amount of greenhouse gases. But how has it kept this balance?

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You have probably seen tons of pictures of the Earth from outer space like this one.

What colours do you see the most?

The green and blue areas of the planet are part of our carbon cycle.

Let's explore how the carbon cycle works.

carbon cycle graphic part 1

Over thousands of years, the balance of carbon sources and sinks has resulted in just the right amount of heat being trapped in the atmosphere – creating the world we know.

But wait — what about your role in all this?

Did you know you are part of the carbon cycle too? Every time you breath in, you are taking in oxygen and exhale carbon.

That means that every time you breathe, you are connected to the Earth’s carbon cycle.

Let’s see if you can tell the difference between carbon sinks and sources.

Sinks vs Sources 1
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Not bad. Some of those were tricky.

Let’s return back to our graph of temperature changes over time. Which parts of this graph do you think had a stable carbon cycle?

Climate Graph 2
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Climate cycle imbalance leads to rising temperatures, amplified greenhouse warming, and impacts on weather and sea levels.

Think about what you have seen in the carbon cycle. Do you see anything that might be causing the climate to change to unsafe levels? If not, what do you think is missing?

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A Changing Carbon Cycle

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