Learn more about environmental problems on Earth.

Climate change refers to long-term global warming and shifts in weather patterns. It is mostly caused by human activities, particularly the production of greenhouse gases. These gases, when released into the atmosphere, trap heat and lead to global warming. Some major greenhouse gases include water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and ozone (O₃).

Impacts of Climate Change

• Rising Sea Levels: Melting glaciers and ice sheets cause sea levels to rise, leading to coastal flooding and threatening island nations.
   
• Extreme Weather: Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, heavy rainfall, wildfires, floods, and storms.
   
• Ocean Acidification and Warming: Oceans are absorbing more heat and carbon dioxide, becoming warmer and more acidic. This results in coral bleaching and the destruction of marine habitats.
   
• Human Health: Rising heat, poor air quality from wildfires, and increased hunger due to food scarcity pose serious risks to human health.

• Deforestation: Cutting down trees reduces the Earth’s ability to absorb CO₂.

Plastic pollution is a human-caused problem. It ends up in the bodies of sea creatures and land animals, often killing them or making them sick. Much of it reaches the ocean through littering; when people litter, the plastic is blown or washed into waterways and eventually the sea. Marine animals often mistake plastic and microplastics for food.

Plastic pollution is also caused by poorly managed waste disposal and leakage from landfills. There are an estimated 75 to 199 million tons of plastic in the ocean, and over one million marine animals die annually from plastic-related ingestion and entanglement, with seabirds being among the most affected. Scientists also estimate that about 100,000 marine mammals, along with millions of other animals, die from plastic each year - though many of these deaths go unrecorded. Land animals, including deer and elephants, are also at risk when they consume plastic.

Endangered animals are species that are at risk of extinction. They become endangered due to habitat loss, climate change altering ecosystems, pollution making environments toxic, and the overexploitation of species through hunting or overfishing. Protecting them is vital for maintaining biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.

Endangered animals are species that are at risk of extinction. Animals become endangered due to habitat loss, climate change altering ecosystems, pollution making environments toxic, and the overexploitation of species through hunting or overfishing. Protecting them is vital for maintaining biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.

Some examples of endangered animals include:

• Javan rhinoceros — about 50 remain in the wild.
• Bornean elephant — approximately 1,000 remain in the wild.
• Sumatran tiger — around 400 remain in the wild.
• South China tiger — possibly extinct in the wild; there have been no confirmed sightings for decades, and it now survives mainly in captivity.
• Sumatran orangutan — about 14,000 remain in the wild.

Habitat loss occurs when an area of land is destroyed or altered so drastically that animals and plants can no longer survive there. Therefore, they die because they are no longer in the right environment. Land is often cleared for factories, houses, farms, and other human facilities. This is one of the main reasons why animals are becoming endangered.

Some animals that have become endangered because of habitat loss include:

• African forest elephant
• Loggerhead sea turtle
• Orangutan
• Amur leopard
• Eastern lowland gorilla
• Black rhino
• Chimpanzee
• Jaguar
• Koala 
• Sunda tiger
• Borneo elephant