EnergyProblemsandSolutions©2007Macmillan/McGraw-HillIntroductionDuringaspaceshuttleflight,anastronautpassedsometimetryingtofindhishome.AsthespacecraftorbitedEarth,theastronautpeeredthroughtheshuttle’swindowstotheworldfarbelow.Finally,hefoundit—thetwinklinglightsofthecitywherehelived.Whatathrill!Itwascomfortingtoseehomewhenhewassofaraway.Butthenastrangethinghappened.Onthenextorbit,helookedoutthewindowagain.Thistimetheentireregionaroundthecityfeltlikehome.Ontheorbitafterthat,heonlyhadtolookforhiscountrytofeelathome;thenonlyatthecontinent.EventuallytheastronautsawtheentireEarthashomesweethome.Earthisourhomeintheuniverse.Arewetakingcareofit?2Indexacidrain,8ArcticOcean,11–13automobile,4–5,8,11,18–19“buildinggreen,”19carbondioxide,9,11,15climate,10–15conservation,20–21coralbleaching,12electricity,4–5,18,20environment,3,7–8,21ExxonValdez,7fluorescentlight,18,20fossilfuels,5–6,9,14,21glaciers,10–11globalwarming,12–15greenhouseeffect,9GrinnellGlacier,10hybridcars,18–19incandescentlight,18,20oilspills,7pipeline,6pollution,8powerplants,5,8,18recycling,19–20smog,8solarenergy,14,16,17strip-mining,6windturbine,1723EnergyProblemsandSolutions©2007Macmillan/McGraw-HillTheastronautunderstoodasimpleyetimportantidea—allofEarthisourhome.Butlatelywehaven’tbeentookindtoourhome.Infactyoumightsayourhomeisinneedofrepair.Manyoftheproblemsfacingtheplanetcomedowntoonething—ourquestforenergy.Thisbookexploreshowtheuseofenergyaffectstheenvironment.Yes,thereareproblems.Buttherearesolutions,too.3Glossaryacidrain(AS-idrayn)rainorsnowfullofpoisonouschemicals(page8)energy(EN-urj-ee)thecapacityfordoingwork(page3)fossilfuel(FOS-uhlFYEW-uhl)afuelformedfromtheremainsofprehistoricplantsandanimals(page5)generate(JEN-uh-rayt)tobringaboutorproduce(page5)glacier(GLAY-shuhr)alargemassoficeinverycoldregions(page10)globalwarming(GLOH-buhlWAWRM-ing)anincreaseintheaveragetemperatureoftheatmosphereoftheearth(page12)greenhouseeffect(GREEN-howsi-FEKT)thetrappingofheatfromthesunwithintheearth’sa...
