Whilst
natural climatic changes have
always occurred
over millions of years,
the climate change we
are witnessing
today is predominantly due to
human activity.
These changes have taken place in the
last
hundred years at an unprecedented
rate.
People are causing the change by
burning
nature's vast stores of coal, oil and
natural
gas to fuel their activities.
Burning of fossil fuel releases billions of
tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the
atmosphere every year, the main one being
carbon dioxide (CO2). This, together with other
man-made GHGs, such as methane (CH4) and
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), traps the
Sun's
radiation within the troposphere, causing
the Earth to heat.
If current trends continue, we will raise
atmospheric CO2 concentrations to double the
pre-
industrial levels within this century.
That will raise global temperatures by around 2 -
5°C.
We
must all take ownership for our carbon footprint.
Committing to go carbon free
and offsetting
excess emissions will play a huge role in tackling
global
warming.
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