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Why is climate change such a serious problem?

The effects of climate change will reach every corner of the globe and the impact will be, to all intents and purposes, irreversible. The complexity of the earth's weather systems make it difficult to predict the exact nature of these changes. But none of the scenarios are good. We owe it to our children to do whatever we can to limit the damage, and help them adapt to a world very different from that which we grew up in.

Click on the questions below to find out more.

What is causing climate change?

Is it real?

Who's responsible?


“…To me the question of the environment is more ominous than that of peace and war...I'm more worried about global warming than I am of any major military conflict.”

U.N. Weapons Inspector Hans Blix, (March 14, 2003)

What is causing climate change?

Scientific fact no. 1

Carbon dioxide (co2) is a naturally occurring gas which traps heat in the earth's atmosphere. When people refer to greenhouse gases, they are referring primarily to carbon dioxide. Click here for Illustration

Scientific fact no. 2

When fossil fuels ( oil, coal, natural gas, petrol and diesel ) are burnt, carbon dioxide is released.

Scientific fact no. 3

Humans have been burning a lot of fossil fuels over the last 200 years, so much so that the levels of co2 in the atmosphere have increased by 20% in that time. Click here for Illustration.

Scientific fact no.4

This human driven increase in co2 levels has occurred at least 10 times faster than any natural increase in the last half million years.

Scientific fact no.5

The rise in levels of atmospheric co2 has been matched by a rise in average global temperatures.

Conclusion

– Well, I'm no scientist, but it seems to me pretty obvious that if we keep adding large amounts of co2 to our atmosphere, temperatures will continue to rise. Scientists who study the climate say this is something we should be very worried about.

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Is it Real?

The big problem regarding climate change is no longer the science, it is finding the will to do something about it. As the evidence for climate change mounts, and the calls for action become ever more urgent, so those whose positions of power and privilege are threatened by the need for change become ever more desperate in their attempts to sap the collective will for action.

One way this is achieved is by employing scientists, journalists and even novelists to deny the reality of the situation.

These opinions are given far more airtime by the mainstream media than their importance or prevalence warrants. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of climate scientists are united and unequivocal in their call for an immediate and meaningful response to this issue. See here for the scientific evidence Back to top

Who's Responsible?

Certainly, the people of the western world produce more than their fair share of greenhouse gases, with the US, representing just 5% of the world's population, producing 25% of co2 emissions.

Who's producing what?

thousand tonnes of carbon per year.

North America1,647,753
Western Europe682,103
Eastern Europe775,216
Central Asia 830,859
South Asia726,007
Oceania429040
Africa224,371
Middle East224,371
Central, South America and Caribean382,344


"This is what we know about global warming...so why haven't we done anything about it yet?"
Tim Radford and Paul Brown, Thursday April 29, 2004 The Guardian

In the UK, over 50% of co2 emissions come from transport and the home. Which gives, as parents, the power to make a difference to our children's future, if we are strong enough to find new ways of living.

source: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/climate_energy.pdf

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