In Climate Change: The Facts Kate Ravilious presents a very carefully constructed argument in order to inform young readers about the issue of climate change and explain what can be done.

See if you can remember the key points of her argument by filling in the blanks in the 10 quotes provided here.

1: Twenty years ago global warming was a fringe subject political hot potato joke scientific fact( fringe subject, political hot potato, joke, scientific fact ) . . . today global warming has become a political hot potato hot topic of discussion fringe subject scientific fact( political hot potato, hot topic of discussion, fringe subject, scientific fact ) and the majority of scientists agree that it is a reality and here to stay. nothing to worry about something that can be fixed very easily impossible to do anything about it( a reality and here to stay., nothing to worry about, something that can be fixed very easily, impossible to do anything about it )

2: Extra carbon dioxide (CO2) methane smoke water vapour( carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, smoke, water vapour ) in the atmosphere enhances a natural process known as the greenhouse effect.

3: Over the past 500 years 100 years 50 years 200 years( 500 years, 100 years, 50 years, 200 years ) mankind has increased the proportion of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere, primarily by burning fossil fuels. farming cows growing rice mining for cal( burning fossil fuels., farming cows, growing rice, mining for cal )

4: Since 1958 scientists at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii have taken continuous measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The levels go up and down with the seasons, but overall they demonstrate a relentless rise. there is nothing to worry about a general fall in the levels it is a natural process( a relentless rise., there is nothing to worry about, a general fall in the levels, it is a natural process )

5: . . . the rate of change we see today is exceptional: normal: to be expected: frightening:( exceptional:, normal:, to be expected:, frightening: ) carbon dioxide levels have never risen so fast. By 2000 they were 17% higher than in 1959.

6: There is little doubt that humanity nature mankind aliens( humanity, nature, mankind, aliens ) is responsible for the rapid rise in carbon dioxide levels. The rise in temperatures that has accompanied our fossil fuel addiction burning of fossil fuels industrial revoultion evolution( fossil fuel addiction, burning of fossil fuels, industrial revoultion, evolution ) seems too much of a coincidence to be just chance.

7: Currently oceans and trees trees oceans third world countries( oceans and trees, trees, oceans, third world countries ) are helping to mop up some of the heat by absorbing carbon dioxide, but eventually they will reach capacity and be unable to absorb more. At this point the atmosphere ocean world sky( atmosphere, ocean, world, sky ) will take the full load, potentially pushing temperatures sky high.

8: Carbon dioxide is just one the main the worst the least harmful( just one, the main, the worst, the least harmful ) of a number of greenhouse gases . . . methane water vapour nitrous oxide ozone( methane, water vapour, nitrous oxide, ozone ) . . . is far more potent as a greenhouse gas, trapping 20 times as much heat as carbon dioxide.

9: Although average global temperatures are predicted to rise, this doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be sitting in our deckchairs we'll have hot summers it's going to just get hotter we will need to wear suncream( we'll be sitting in our deckchairs, we'll have hot summers, it's going to just get hotter, we will need to wear suncream ) all year round. The extra energy . . . will need to find a release, and the result is likely to be more extreme weather. a thunder storm more wet weather cold weather( more extreme weather., a thunder storm, more wet weather, cold weather )

10: Research shows that we are already committed to an average global temperature rise of nearly 1C, 10C 50C 100C( 1C,, 10C, 50C, 100C ) lasting for at least the next 500 years. 20 years 100 years 200 years( 500 years., 20 years, 100 years, 200 years )