# FACE OF CHANGE

The world is DYING!

BECAUSE OF YOU!

YOU are a part of the PROBLEM!

With over 7 BILLION PEOPLE

and... 8.7 BILLION kinds of ANIMAL species.

29 PERCENT land

and... 71 PERCENT water

PLANET EARTH is the place we call home.

A place that is literally ONE of a kind

with life found nowhere else in the UNIVERSE!

yet, we have a CRISIS on our hands.

INCREASE in natural disasters and extreme weather is...

effecting REAL PEOPLE, ANIMALS, and the ENVIRONMENT!

Climate change is not just an ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM,

it is a DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEM.

Coming from the DEVELOPMENT of todays

rich countries

INCREASE in carbon dioxide and green house gasses

from the use of COAL, in our industries and factories.

ELECTRICITY

and GASOLINE

are INCREASING the temperature of our planet.

These GREEN HOUSE GASES keep the heat from escaping the

atmosphere

Too much of it is causing NEGATIVE effects on the environment

And yes, even our CARS are adding to the crisis.

In the past 100 years, the total temperature has increased by 1.1

DEGREES.

Doesn’t seem like much, but the little change in heat is...

change the glaciers to MELT;

INCREASING our sea level by 0.14 inches per year.

still not CONVINCED?

Tell that to this polar bear who could not get back to land due to the MELTING ICE!

Because of the HEAT, precipitation patterns have also changed;

causing more RAINFALL.

In turn, FLOODS have been occurring more FREQUENTLY.

COASTAL CITIES are more likely to flood,

and in less than 50 YEARS, some coastal cities will be UNDERWATER...

meaning more FLOODS to come.

Also, the heat is INCREASING the EVAPORATION CYCLE

leading to WITHERING CROPS

and more fires due to DRYNESS.

PEOPLE who are being effected the most...

are NOT those adding the most to the Carbon Dioxide emission.

It is Affecting those living in undeveloped countries

Killer diarrheal diseases, malnutrition, malaria, and dengue...

are highly CLIMATE-SENSITIVE and are expected to WORSEN as the climate

changes.

Areas with WEAK HEALTH infrastructure are the LEAST able to cope and respond.

When natural disasters strike, their ability to grow crops, access water, and feed themselves

WORSENS.

CHILDREN in these areas have an even harder time to survive.

Due to the change in their environment, many ANIMALS are being IMPACTED too.

Animals like CORAL REEFS are experiencing the worst of it.

Coral can only survive 77 DEGREES to 84 DEGREES

But because of the heat, 25 PERCENT of the worlds coral reefs have DIED!

In the Indian OCEAN, 90 PERCENT DIED due to WARMER WATERS.

Why does this even matter?

Coral reefs actually SUSTAIN underwater life and it prevents waves from hitting the coast

According to scientists, coral reefs nurture up to a MILLION SPECIES of marine life.

Without them, our ECO SYSTEM WILL FAIL.

How do we RESPOND?

Unless green house gases DECREASE DRASTICALLY,

MANY will still be impacted.

You are also part of the SOLUTION!

We can make a DIFFERENCE by...

DECREASING your energy use and investing in ALTERNATIVE ENERGY.

If every U.S household REPLACED ONE regular incandescent light bulb with a

compact fluorescent light bulb,

it would PREVENT the equivalent of 90 BILLION POUNDS of green house gas

emissions from power plants.

That is like taking out 7.5 MILLION cars off the road!

Change to SOLAR PANELS, which uses the suns energy for power.

That can save up to 1,300,000 Pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

Though it is switched off, appliances continue to use small amounts of energy

called PHANTOM ENERGY.

Use POWER STRIPS that you can turn off home appliances that

are not in use.

ONE power strip can reduce greenhouse gas by 500 POUNDS a year.

Setting your thermostat just 2 DEGREES lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide

each year.

RECYCLE as much as you can.

By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 POUNDS of carbon

dioxide annually.

Lastly, use ALTERNATIVE means of TRAVEL...

WALK

BIKE

and use PUBLIC TRANSIT.

Every gallon of gasoline you saved is 20 POUNDS less carbon dioxide released.

Imagine what could happen if EVERYONE conserved energy.

Every little thing makes a difference.

WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

EARTH DAY 04.22.13EARTHDAY.ORG/2013