Climate change facts

What is Climate Change?

Climate change refers to the phenomenon that is causing the earth to become warmer which means that our climate and our weather systems are changing. This may sound like something vague and futuristic but in fact climate change is a reality. Today, the earth is hotter than it has been in two thousand years:

• 1990s was the warmest decade
• 1998 was the warmest year
• Snow cover is down 10% in the last 40 years

What causes it?

Most scientists now agree that human activity is largely responsible for climate change and that the choices we make today will decide the future of our climate.

• Most of the energy we use to heat our homes, for electricity and transport comes from fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal
• When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide which is the main greenhouse gas
• Greenhouse gases cause the earth to heat up by trapping the sun's heat in the earth's atmosphere - acting like a greenhouse

For more information - www.climate.org or www.realclimate.org