Fossil Fuels and Global Warming

Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases on our planet that traps heat from the sun. While carbon dioxide is an important part of nature, too much of it is being put into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels. These fuels—like gasoline, oil and coal—come from the fossils of plants and dinosaurs that lived on earth millions of years ago. We use these fuels to drive our cars, power our trains and fly our planes. We also use fossil fuels to heat our homes, create electricity and run factories.

Burning fossil fuels is creating more carbon dioxide than is healthy for the planet. It is possible to get our energy and electricity from other sources like the sun and the wind. Solar power and wind power don't pollute or create greenhouse gas. One day, we'll be getting most of our energy from these alternative, or different sources of energy.