ALL ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE
There is now no doubt that our
climate is changing and that it is one of the
biggest challenges that we currently face.
What is causing
Climate Change?
To understand why our climate is
changing we need to understand the greenhouse effect, i.e. the insulating effect
of atmospheric greenhouse gases (water vapour, carbon dioxide,
methane, etc). The sun's warmth heats the
surface of the Earth, which in turn radiates energy back to space.
Some of this radiation is trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse
gases where it warms the lower atmosphere, or troposphere. Some
heat then finds its way back down to the Earth's surface, making it
hotter than it would otherwise be. This is the greenhouse
effect. Without it, the average temperature of the
earth would be about 18°C which is too cold to support life as we
know it.
The problem is that pre-industrial greenhouse
gas levels are being boosted by burning fossil fuels. If nothing is
done to curb emissions, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere will
probably be more than double pre-industrial levels by the end of
this century. Although, the earth's climate has changed many times
throughout its history the current level of global warming can be
linked to human activity and increasing industrialisation. As we
burn fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) more and more
greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere. Since
pre-industrial times the Earth has warmed by approximately 0.75 °
and eleven of the warmest years in the past 125 years have occurred
since 1990, with 2005 the warmest year on record.
So should we be worried about Climate
Change?
The short answer is YES, we should, because
its impact will be felt across the world. Scientists predict that
Climate Change is likely to lead to more intense and more frequent
extreme weather events, such as flooding, drought and storms. This
has major implications for our ecosystems, growing seasons, animals
and their habitats, and for us.
With the current levels of CO2, Climate Change
is inevitable – even if we stop emitting gases now, the gases that
have already built up will still have an effect. Nevertheless, we
must do everything we can to avoid further changes and to adapt to
the new situation that we find ourselves in.
What are the likely impacts -
globally?
Future impacts of Climate Change are difficult
to predict accurately, but they are already evident in the
shrinking Arctic ice cap; accelerated rising sea levels; glaciers
receding. The world is already experiencing more frequent
extreme weather conditions; mid to high latitude growing seasons
have lengthened; and changes in plant and animal ranges, and
behaviour, are being observed.
What are the likely locally
impacts?
Here in the South West it is likely that we
will experience hotter, drier summers and milder, wetter winters
with more extreme rainfall leading to increased flooding. Sea level
will continue to rise to well over half a metre by 2050, increasing
the risk of coastal flooding and erosion. By the 2050’s we could
see a 4 – 5 degree temperature rise in summer and a 20% rainfall
increase in the winter, with a summer rainfall decrease of 30%
leading to water shortages. http://www.oursouthwest.com/climate/impacts.htm
How you can help to reduce the impact
of Climate Change
We can all play
our part in tackling Climate Change by making changes in our
everyday lives. A combination of small steps carried out by
everybody in the UK could help to reduce or slow down the impact.
We need to either reverse, or at least halt the causes, which mean
reducing the level of CO2 that we produce from our everyday
activities. We need to save energy, both at home and at work, to
reduce the amount of fossil fuels that we burn.
To see what you can do to reduce your CO2
emission please follow the links given.
Links:
Direct Gov (the official Government Web-site for
citizens) (external link)
BBC Weather
Centre (external link)
Defra
- Climate Change (external link)
Met Office -
Climate Change (external link)
South West Climate
Change Impacts Partnership (external link)