<strong><span style=”color: #ffff00; font-size: large;”>What is Climate Change?</span></strong><img title=”Glacier ice loss” src=”http://altta.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/glacier.jpg” alt=”Glacier ice loss” width=”325″ height=”285″ /> Climate Change refers to a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere. It implies climate instability which will have profound and adverse effects on the way we live.
<span style=”font-size: large; color: #ffff00;”><strong>The 4th Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated:</strong></span>
Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely (to a confidence level >90%) due to the observed increase in human greenhouse gas concentrations. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.
Climate change or global warming is caused by carbon dioxide and other polluting gases.
The UK with 1% of the world’s population produces 2.3% of the world’s carbon dioxide.
<img title=”The greenhouse effect” src=”http://altta.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/greenhouse.png” alt=”The greenhouse effect” width=”323″ height=”217″ />
<a href=”http://trillionthtonne.org/”><img title=”Trillionth tonne” src=”http://altta.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/trillion.png” alt=”Trillionth tonne” /></a>Greenhouse gases are released by burning fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas.
Heat from the sun is trapped by the gases in our atmosphere, forming a blanket around the earth – like the glass of a greenhouse.
Greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit some of the infrared radiation that would normally be radiated out into space. Some of the re-emitted radiation is re-absorbed by the earth’s surface, warming it.