Why Is Earth Getting Hotter Faster Than Ever?

[00:00:00]Earth has already warmed by more than 1 [music] degree Celsius, and while that may not sound like much, it is enough to change weather patterns, intensify heat waves, melt glaciers, [music] and raise sea levels around the world. But, why is our planet getting hotter? [music] The answer begins with something called the greenhouse effect. Sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, [music] warming the planet's surface.

[00:00:23]Some of that heat then tries to escape back into space, but greenhouse gases act like a blanket, [music] trapping some of that heat and keeping Earth warm enough for life.

[00:00:33]>> [music] >> Without greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen world. The problem is that human activities are adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than nature can remove. One of those gases is carbon dioxide, [music] released by burning coal, other fossil fuels, and natural gas, as well as by deforestation.

[00:00:53]But, carbon dioxide isn't the only [music] concern.

[00:00:56]Methane is even more powerful. Over 20 years, methane can trap more than 80 times as much heat as [music] carbon dioxide. Methane comes from sources such as livestock, landfills, and leaks from oil and gas operations. Scientists monitor these gases using satellites, allowing them to see changes in Earth's atmosphere from space, and that's how we [music] know our planet is warming. The good news, understanding the problem is the first step towards solving it.

[00:01:24]>> Earth isn't the water world most people think it is. From space, our planet looks covered in oceans, but if every drop of water on Earth were gathered into a single sphere, >> [music] >> it would be only about 1,385 km wide, compared to Earth's 12,742 km diameter.

[00:01:44]In other words, [music] the water that sustains every ocean, river, lake, cloud, forest, >> [music] >> animal, and human on Earth would fit into a surprisingly small ball beside the planet.

[00:01:56]The blue oceans that dominate our view of Earth are actually just a thin skin wrapped around a world made mostly of rock and metal.

[00:02:04]Earth looks blue from space, [music] but water is only skin deep. Follow to see Earth the way you've never seen it before.

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