When Will We Run Out of Oil?

Kristy from the United Kingdom wrote:
When will we run out of oil?

GLOBIO Traveling Teacher says:

Hi Kirsty,

Yes, eventually we will run out of oil if we continue to use it like we do today - to power our cars, warm our houses, make paints, and make plastics.
Oil (and coal and natural gas) is created by plants and animals that died millions of years ago. Buried in the earth under pressure and heat they combine to form fossil fuels - like oil. This process takes a very long time, millions of years, to form even a small amount of fossil fuel. The problem is we are using up this fossil fuel faster than it can be created.

Our solution is to conserve now the oil we have - using it wisely - and begin to search very hard for new ideas and resources to power of cars and airplanes, create plastics and all the other things we now use oil for.

Thanks for the great question,
GLOBIO Traveling Teacher

What Do Plants Produce Which Is So Important to the Composition of the Atmosphere?

Zeenat from the United States wrote:
What do plants produce which is so important to the composition of the atmosphere?

GLOBIO Traveling Teacher says:

Hi Zeenat,

Plants produce two very important gases that compose the atmosphere - oxygen (during the daylight) and carbon dioxide (at night). The oxygen plants produce is very important and insures life on Earth can exist. That's why plants are often times called the "lungs of the Earth".

You can learn more about plants in Glossopedia by clicking on the picture below.

Thanks for the great question,
GLOBIO Traveling Teacher

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