What’s the problem? What you don’t see so easily is the effects of burning all these fossil fuels. You can't see carbon dioxide and most of you don’t live near huge power station chimneys belching smoke, but no one can escape the noise and stink made by cars, trucks, boats, ships and aeroplanes. Did you know that there are over 500,000,000 cars and trucks in the world, all belching fumes? Then there’s the planes, ships and factories, all gushing smoke and poisonous gases into the air we all breathe.

Facts about CO2
Carbon dioxide, chemical formula 'CO2' is a colourless heavy gas. It's what you get when you burn coal, the filthiest fossil fuel. For every ton of coal which gets burned, 1.8 tons of CO2 end up 'thrown away' into the atmosphere. Why so much? Because coal burns – or oxidises – in air, nearly a quarter of which is made of oxygen. The oxygen combines with the coal (almost pure carbon) to make the heavy CO2 gas which is the main cause of 'greenhouse' warming of the planet.

Why have chimneys?
Chimneys are made very high to pour out the smoke and gas pollution so that it doesn't poison the neighbourhood. Instead, it becomes someone else's problem somewhere else. It typically causes 'acid rain' and can seriously pollute lakes and rivers far away, especially in the Arctic

What happens to this pollution?

What is it?

Why does it affect the climate?