9781422279236

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Changes at the End of the Earth Words to Understand atmosphere  the layer of gases that surrounds Earth fossil fuels  fuels such as natural gas and oil that formed in the ground mil- lions of years ago from dead, rotting plants and animals industrialization  the large-scale process of using machines powered by fossil fuels to make goods in factories models  numbers or ideas that describe how something could develop in the future

D uring the past two decades, stories on climate change have filled the news, as scientists study its causes and what it could mean for Earth’s future. Climate change is not new; what does seem to be new is the rate at which temperatures are rising and the effects it could have on billions of people. The planet has had cycles of warming and cooling going back millions of years, due to slight variations in Earth’s orbit around

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