Weather, climate

Rainforests
Before 1900, rainforests covered 14% of the world´s surface (povrch). Today they cover 7%. The reason for this is simple. They have been cut down to provide: land, paper, wood, medicines, minerals and fuel. But it isn´t only trees which are disappearing. Every rainforest also contains millions of animals, insects and flowers. These are destroyed, too. If man continues to cut down rainforests, more than one million species (druhy) of plants and animals will become extinct (vymřít) by the year 2030.
- the green solution (řešení): governments in rainforest countries need to plan and work together. They should also protect certain areas and plant new forests

Energy
At the moment, 94% of the world´s energy comes from fossil fuels. There is enough coal for the next 300 years, but only enough gas end oil for the next 50. Then will happen: nuclear energy. But after the Chernobyl disaster (katastrofa) in 1986, many people think nuclear power isn´t safe (bezpečná).
- the green solution: there are four green soluction. They all use natural energy already in teh enviroment. That´s wind energy, solar energy from the sun, wave energy from the sea and geothermal energy from hot rocks (jádro země) under the Earth

Acid rain
One of Europe and North America´s most serious pollution problems is acid rain. What happens is this. First, factories send gases and chemicals into the air. There they mix and are carried (unášeny) for hundreds of miles by the wind. Finally, they fall back to earth when it rains. This acid rain kills fish and trees. It slowly destroys (pomalu ničí) buildings too.
- the green solution: industrial countries should control their levels of pollution. This is already happening in some parts of Europe. There, several countries have cut their acid rain pollution by 30%

Wildlife
Animals are a part of the enviroment, too. Millions of them are killed or treated cruelly by man every year. There are five main groups:
1. animals used for scientific research (rabbits)
2. animals killed for sport (foxes)
3. animals killed for their fur or skin (crocodiles)
4. animals in danger because their enviroments are in danger (gorillas)
5. animals kept in cruel conditions on farms (some kinds of chicken and cow)
- the green solution: groups like Greenpeace have already helped to stop whale hunting. Now, they want to stop fur-hunting, too. Like many others organisations, they believe in animal rights. Ther solution to all problems of wildlife cruelty (krutost,surovost) is simple. Animals shouldn´t suffer (trpět). The cruelty must stop.

Amazon forest
The Amazon forest covers 5 millions squere kilometres. It contains one third of the world´s trees.
The trees are disappearing. Cutting down tree causes changes of the climate. If people cut down the Amazon forest, 2 thing will probably happen: 1.changes of climate, 2. air will loose some of its oxygen.
Trees of the Amazon fores are chemically very active. They provide 50% of the world´s annual production of oxygen.
Air will contain. It will be difficult to breathe. Temperature will rise and coastal cities will be flooded.