About climate change
Climate change is real, and it affects every one of us. Marked alterations in world climate conditions over recent decades result from the fact that average temperatures across the globe are creeping upwards.
What is climate change?
The world’s average surface temperatures have increased by around 0.6 degrees Celsius over the last hundred years.
It may not sound much, but it’s already had a marked effect not only on the patterns of the world’s climate, but also on trees and plant life, on crops, and on many animal species.
The global temperature is predicted, by ongoing scientific projections, to increase anything between 1.4 and 6 degrees Celsius in the 21st century – depending on what action we take, and how effective that action is.
How has this happened?
Through industrial and technological development, there has been a massive, steady increase in global emissions of so-called ‘greenhouse gases’ since the late 19th century – the most pervasive of which is carbon dioxide (CO2).
There have always been such gases in our atmosphere. Like a transparent greenhouse roof, they hold the sun’s energy within the earth’s atmosphere and maintain the warmth necessary to sustain the delicate balance of life. However, their increase means too much heat is now being trapped around the earth, increasing overall global temperatures – the enhanced greenhouse effect.
Concentrations of greenhouse gases are now higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years.
What does this mean for the world?
In the UK, the bright side may seem to be that flowers in your garden bloom several weeks earlier or longer than they used to. But it may also mean you’re experiencing frequent flooding – or other unusual or extreme weather conditions.
The ten hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990, and we’re seeing regular water shortages in certain areas. We’ve also had more frequent prolonged downpours of rain, increasing the occurrence of river and flash flooding. Extensive and disastrous floods are being experienced more frequently in many areas of the country, while the Thames Barrier is closed at least twice as often as when it was first built. And already the average sea level around the UK is more than 10cm higher than a century ago.
In all parts of the world, climate change lies behind increased flooding, violent storms, heatwaves, or other extreme weather conditions. In many countries, increased drought means increased water shortages for potentially billions of people, while their chances of growing sustainable crops becomes minimal. It’s estimated that more than 25 million people are already environmental refugees, because of changed rainfall patterns, drought or flooding.
Skin cancer will become an increasing problem, while tropical diseases like malaria and dengue fever are likely to spread. Vulnerable species and unique ecosystems, such as coral reefs, are already damaged and may disappear.
Meanwhile, temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as elsewhere, and the Arctic ice cap is known to be contracting at a rate of 9 per cent each decade. The Himalayan glaciers, the main water source for hundreds of millions of people, are retreating. And low-lying islands and coastal regions are on the verge of disappearing under the waves forever as the Arctic ice sheets melt and sea levels continue to rise.
The weight of evidence for climate change, and the link with greenhouse gas emissions, most notably carbon dioxide, is in my view unarguable… This is a global problem requiring a global solution, but we can all help to make a difference… If we reduce the amount of energy we use and make our energy consumption more efficient, we will reduce the impact that we, as individuals, have on the environment.
Sir David King, UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser 2000–2007
What can we do about it?
There has been much debate over recent years as to whether human activity is really the cause of climate change.
The overpowering evidence, supported by leading scientists, and recognised by virtually all nations, is that increases in greenhouse gas emissions are the key cause to potentially disastrous climate change. So climate change is the result of human ‘development’ of the world.
The one good thing about this is that we also have the key to do something to save this global situation – if we will. See our page about world action for a brief outline of what is happening internationally to tackle climate change.
Individually, we can help as soon as we realise that we each leave some sort of carbon trail daily – our ‘carbon footprint’ – and start to alter our lifestyle.
What is my ‘carbon footprint’?
That’s just what EquiClimate is here to help you work out – and cancel out, if you wish to.
Every day we all use up fuel and energy to a certain extent, in a wide variety of ways – heating and lighting our homes, bathing and showering with hot water, using electrical devices from computers to DVD players, and travelling by fuel-powered vehicles.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is directly generated through the fuel used by each person. We also contribute to its generation through manufacturing and transporting processes – as we buy food, clothes, furnishings, and many other items.
CO2 is measured in tonnes. Each of us produces so many tonnes of CO2 each year – our individual carbon footprint. The average UK household produces around 10 tonnes a year through everyday activities. The average for an individual in the UK is between four and five tonnes.
To offset carbon emissions means to compensate the environment in some way for the carbon we’ve created. One such method is to plant trees, which absorb carbon dioxide and generate oxygen. However, such methods are difficult to quantify.
The EquiClimate method provides a way of compensating the environment for a measurable proportion of the carbon dioxide you’ve put into it.
Calculate your own carbon footprint – or find out how EquiClimate can offset it.