Australian International Academy

Kellyville Campus

Assessment Task Cover Sheet

Unit Name: Ecology

Title: Small acts, big changes

Name: Samah Abdullah

Year Level: 8 Subject: Science

Date: 31st May 2020 Word Count:

Part 1: Presentation Script
Provide the script that you used to complete your presentation
Small acts, big change
We all know or have heard about:
Greenhouse gases
Greenhouse effect
Global warming
Climate change
And
Carbon footprint
But do we all know what it really is? Do we know what impact it has? Do we all know the
consequences if we don’t help? Do we know the mistakes we are making every day, and
how even the smallest things can help?

What are greenhouse gases?

There are many gases that make up the earth’s atmosphere. These include:
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous oxide
Water vapour
Ozone
These are called greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases create a layer in the Earth’s
atmosphere. When the sun’s rays hit the earth, the earth absorbs some of these rays
while most of them are reflected back into the atmosphere. When they are in the upper
atmosphere, the greenhouse gases trap most of the heat from the rays, although some of
them do pass through back to space. The trapped rays spread everywhere in the
atmosphere around the earth. If you didn’t know already, this is how our earth is
comfortable and warm. This is the greenhouse effect. If you think about it, the effect
works like a greenhouse. Going back to the greenhouse effect, without it, the earth
would be way too cold to go skiing, and on average -30 degrees Celsius. So, in this way
the greenhouse effect is good.

Then why do you hear so many bad things about the greenhouse effect?
Well, humans are affecting this in many bad ways. Greenhouse gases are good when
there is the right amount. There are too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. How
does this happen? There are factories, cars, electricity, agriculture, fast fashion and
burning fossil fuels that add more greenhouse gases. For things like factories and cars,
they need energy to be powered. The smoke from powering energy has carbon dioxide
and methane which increases to greenhouse gases. In fast fashion low quality clothing
from many brands is being thrown out quickly. Nearly 80% of clothes get into landfills or
are burnt.
 How does trees help balance greenhouse gases?
Trees and plants breathe in carbon dioxide which reduces and balances. But look at us
humans, chopping down trees for our own benefit. Which means more people, more
energy used, less trees to balance it, way more greenhouse gases. This is the enhanced
greenhouse effect. Ok, enough random info, why does this matter? This makes the layer
of greenhouse gases really thick. The suns rays are completely trapped. This is making it
extra warm, and the temperatures are increasing globally. This is what we know as global
warming.
Climate change and its impacts
You’ve probably also heard of climate change unlike global warming, which describes the
long-term changes of the earth. Some impacts are:
rising sea levels, ice melting at a fast rate, and shrinking mountain glaciers.
Technology/science used to address the impacts (minimise the impacts, minimise
carbon footprint, how it is used to help)
Now, what does science/technology do to address the impact and help the situation?
In 1839, physicist Edmond Becquerel found that there is voltage created when a material
is exposed to light. This was a significant discovery which led to many others. Fast-
forwarding to 1985, many things were powered by solar energy such as commercial
buildings (1974), cars (1955), communication satellites (1962) and a spacecraft (1967).
Unlike fossil fuels, solar energy is renewable and sustainable. Nowadays, it is being used
more in homes for electricity. Solar energy systems don’t produce greenhouse gases, so
that’s a big thumbs up. So, this is one of the ways technology and science is used to help.
You’ve also probably seen wind and water turbines which have a positive impact of
technology on the environment.

I’m pretty sure you guys have already heard of solar power. But have you heard of
Carbon Capture Storage? Scientists are making ways to trap carbon dioxide and store it
really deep underground so that it can’t go back into the atmosphere. Pretty cool right?

Carbon footprint and how you can reduce it

What is carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere by
human activities. Before we learn how to reduce it, we need to learn the consequences
of not reducing our carbon footprint. We already have had our bushfires in Australia as a
result of climate change. What will happen if we don’t act NOW:
 Heat Waves- humans are going to be exposed to heavy and EXTREME heat waves
every 5 years. There will be millions and billions of people affected. In Summertime
we already complain about the weather. How hot do you think it’s going to get?
 Flooding- There will be more frequent and heavy rainfall and snowfall. This
increases the risk of flooding.
 Sea level rise- according to wildlife.org, rising sea levels could impact 1 billion
people by the year 2050. That’s not too far… the word PEOPLE include all of us.
 Coral bleaching- as global warming happens, the water temperature changes and
makes algae leave coral reefs and turn them white. This makes it vunerable to
death and disease.
 Ice free arctic- this will raise sea levels and destroy habitats.
 Loss of habitat- since the earth is getting warmer habitats will not be able to keep
plants or animals. This is putting them in danger.
What can you do to reduce your carbon footprint?
There are so many easy ways to reduce it and trust me, it doesn’t take that much
effort. The little things lead to bigger things.
1. Eat more fruits, veggies, beans and grains. We do this already I hope, but even not
buying a little meat/dairy will help because it is responsible for 14.5% of human
greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Don’t buy fast fashion. We all want to stay in trend, but they get dumped in
landfills and make more methane. They also get shipped from countries which uses
fossil fuels. For what reason? Why do we have to do this? You might think that fast
fashion only includes Kmart, but it also includes adidas and Nike. BUY QUALITY
CLOTHING THAT WILL LAST!
3. Use reusable bags- Many Australian shops like woollies have already given us
reusable bags, WE NEED TO USE THEM.
4. Drive less- grab a friend and a bike or a skateboard and have fun. The experience is
worth it and less carbon footprint. Also use public transport when possible rather
than a car, it’s fun with friends!
5. Now the easiest one really- TURN YOUR LIGHTS OFF WHEN YOU DON’T NEED
THEM. We don’t need night lights anymore, even if you’re scared of the dark.
Turning your lights off can save you money and will save energy.
See? If you make the smallest act towards reducing your carbon footprint, trust me no
matter how tiny it will make a change.
Part 2: Reflection
Complete a 100-word self-reflection in which you evaluate your organisational skills

I think that I did not organise my words properly in the script and they were a bit
rushed. To improve this, I would definitely spend more time writing and thinking of
ideas because I did not organise my time properly. I also should’ve added more facts
and graphs.

References:
Include a list of the references that you used to help you complete this task

1. Climate Kids is produced by the Earth Science Communications Team at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory / California Institute of Technology, Site last updated: April 23rd,
2020, 31/05/20, https://climatekids.nasa.gov/climate-change-meaning/

2.Callaghan M, 25 Aug 2015, Youtube, Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming,

31/05/2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw9KO9JsGGk

3. Climate Kids is produced by the Earth Science Communications Team at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory / California Institute of Technology, April 23rd, 2020, 31/05/2020,
https://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-cards/

4. The History of Solar Energy, Thursday 14th May 2020, 31/05/2020,

https://www.solargain.com.au/timeline-history-solar-power

5. RONCA D, How Carbon Capture Works, 01/06/2020,

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/carbon-capture4.htm