Climate Change - What is climate change?
Climate is the average weather experienced over a long period. This includes temperature, wind and rainfall patterns. The climate of the Earth is always changing. In the past it has altered as a result of natural causes.
However, the term climate change is generally used when referring to changes in our climate which have been identified since the early part of the 1900's. The changes we've seen over recent years and those which are predicted over the next 80 years are thought to be mainly as a result of human behaviour rather than due to natural changes in the atmosphere.
In just 200 years, the amount of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere – the major gas that causes climate change – has increased by 30 per cent. Concentrations of green house gases are now higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years.
What climate change means for us
Climate change will bring extreme weather to many parts of the globe, and a dangerous rise in sea levels. This will affect the way we live, and has major implications for agriculture and wildlife – ecosystems, growing seasons, animals and their habitats.
Every tonne of emissions avoided reduces the threat of climate change. This is why we need to address this issue now, wherever we can.
The blanket of gases that keep the earth warm and able to sustain life is getting thicker, trapping in more heat. Most scientists agree that this is caused by the release of greenhouse gases as we burn fossil fuels for energy and cut down forests.
Too much heat
- The 10 warmest years on record have all been since 1990. Six of the 10 warmest years on record in the UK have been between 1995 and 2004
- In Europe the August 2003 heatwave was probably the hottest for at least 500 years
- During August 2003, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK was taken in Brogdale in Kent. It was 38.5C
- Between 4 and 13 August 2003, over 2000 people died in the UK as a result of the heat
- The growing season for plants in central England is now a month longer than it was in 1900
- Summer heatwaves are occurring more frequently, and in winter there are fewer frosts
Floods ahead
Compared with 50 years ago, we now get more rain and snow, and are on fewer days – so falls are even heavier
- The average sea level around the UK is about 10cm higher than it was in 1900
- The autumn and winter floods in 2000 in the UK were the worse for 270 years in some areas
- Flooding on farmland cost the farming industry nearly £500 million
Climate change presents a significant challenge to the UK and to the international community. Government, business and individuals all have a part to play, and all of us can benefit from rising to the challenge of climate change.