quote from David Attenborough
'I'm no longer sceptical. Now I do not have any doubt at all. I think climate change is the major challenge facing the world.I have waited until the proof was conclusive that it was humanity changing the climate. The thing that really convinced me was the graphs connecting the increase of carbon dioxide in the environment and the rise in temperature, with the growth of human population and industrialisation.'
Sir David Attenborough, The Independent, 24 May 2006
What is climate change?
The IPCC’s working groups on its fourth report, which involves contributions by more than 2000 scientists, tell us that the Earth is warming faster than at any time in the past 10,000 years. The earth’s climate has changed over the last century and there is strong evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities.
Carbon dioxide, caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, is the main gas responsible for warming the earth’s atmosphere. Scientists tell us that rising temperatures will cause sea levels to rise as melting glaciers and ice caps produce more water. This will mean dramatic changes in weather patterns, resulting in an increase in natural disasters such as floods, storms and droughts.
By 2100 the world could be 6ºC warmer (IPCC). However a 2°C rise is recognised as a worldwide danger limit