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In the summer of 2003, there was a heat wave in Europe,
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one of the worst ever.
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In France, in August of 2003,
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the temperature was sometimes above 40 degrees Celsius.
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Even at night, it was hot.
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As a result, many people died.
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In the 21st century, it's hard to imagine
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that people died from a heat wave in Paris.
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But they did -- especially older people.
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All over Paris, the hospitals were full.
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It was very hot, like the whole country was on fire.
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On the night of August 10th,
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between 2,500 and 3,000 people died.
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More than 50,000 people died all over Europe that summer,
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and almost 15,000 in France alone.
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But scientists found another bad thing.
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In the air above Paris, CO2 levels were very high.
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But why?
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Because of the high temperatures, says one scientist.
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Normally, plants take in CO2 from the air.
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And then they release oxygen.
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In this way, plants keep the air clean and cool.
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But in the summer of 2003, this changed.
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During the heat wave, some plants kept the oxygen
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and released CO2!
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Can you imagine what will happen to our planet
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if plants stop cooling and cleaning the air?