• Bowls - 2
• Water
• Plastic food wrap
• Bright light or a sunny day
• Thermometer

1. Fill both bowls with the same amount of water.
2. Cover one of the bowls with plastic food wrap.
3. Place both bowls under a bright light source or in the sun.
4. Leave them for an hour.
5. Measure the temperature of the water in each bowl.

• What effect did the plastic wrap have on the temperature of the water?
• What in our atmosphere has the same effect as the plastic wrap?
• Why is the temperature on the planet Venus so high?

The plastic wrap acts like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere trapping most of the heat energy that would otherwise escape.

Increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere may heat the Earth by a few degrees Celsius which is sufficient to create huge changes in polar ice caps, plant and animal life and weather systems. If the massive ice caps that cover the north and south poles melt even a little, huge amounts of water would be released into the oceans. The increase in water level would have serious effects on coastal populations (plant and animal) and land forms.