Since the Industrial revolution we have pumped more and more carbon (as Carbon Dioxide) and other Greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases store heat in the atmosphere meaning that the world heats up.
Great news for vineyards in Cornwall perhaps, but not so great for the millions who already struggle to get a regular water supply or, for that matter, anyone living near the coast.
Climate change will not only make the earth hotter causing longer and worse periods of drought in dry countries but it will also cause glaciers to melt, meaning more water in the sea and following that a rise in sea level that could leave many coastal areas uninhabitable.
We are at a stage now that if we do not do something drastic it will be too late. The economic effects of climate change have been made clearby the 'Stern Enquiry' - even the British government admits something must be done. Far worse than any economic problems is that those who live in the most climatically treacherous places on earth will be hit by climate change the worsed and those people are the poorest already and the ones who have contributed the least to the problem.
The science behind climate change is complicated and there will NEVER be absaloute proof that humans are responsible but we must accept that the likelihood is that we are messing up our world and that we simply cannot step back and let this happen. For more info on the science and some background reading please see
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/portal/climate_change/default.stm
The good news is that we can and I believe will stop wrecking our world before it is too late but some sacrifices (the word politicians cannot use) will have to be made.- We MUST stop relying on cars to get around
-We MUST cut down on consuming items from all over the world but more importantly we have to cut down consumptions all together.
-We have to (and it sounds stupid coming from me) stop flying accross the world regularly.
-Our home must be efficient and powered wherever possible by renewable energy.
-We MUST tell the government that we believe laws MUST be passed to curb our emissions and that we believe the time for carbon rationing (another word politicians can't say) is here.
-We CAN turn off our appliances at the plug, can't we? And maybe abolish 'standby' buttons while we're at it?
-We CAN walk to local shops sometimes or catch a bus instead of driving to work, maybe just one day and week to start and then more.
-We CAN all hop on a bike, and get fit and save the world.
We all have a part to play and we will make a change. We have to TELL our governments, world over, that we want to be helped out with our aims. We want public transport and investment in renewables and we want to halt airport exapansion and cut out national flights in the UK.
I believe that we can all make a difference and that developed countries should help developing countries (like China and India) both financially and with expertise in renewable energy. I believe that those countries who fail to meet emissions targets or do not sign up to global climate change agreements should be financially punished.
So many people have already changed their lives for the better and embraced a more sustainable way of living, and i think we can all do it too.
I urge you to get in touch with your MP, your Councillor, your Prime Minister or whoever holds the power and tell them you don't want to watch our world be destryoed by something we could have stopped.
Thanks
