The Earth’s climate has always been in a perpetual state of natural flux. Over the last Century we have witnessed yet another change in Earth’s climatic history with a 0.6°c rise in global temperature.This time however there is convincing evidence to suggest that humans are to blame from the burning of fossil fuels.
Temperatures are projected to increase further by between 1.4 to 5.8°C by 2100, with even larger rises in Eastern and Southern Europe. This will increase the risk of flooding from more intense rainfall, storminess and a rise in sea level. Crop yields will change and wildlife will be forced to adapt by migrating northwards to higher altitudes. Higher summer temperatures will result in more heat related deaths and vector-borne diseases.
Recent extreme weather events in Europe have highlighted the vulnerability of our society. More than 20,000 people are thought to have died during Europe's 2003 heatwave with temperatures topping 40 °c (Nature, January 2004). Events such as these have emphasised that unless we start preparing now, the potential impacts on our economy and the environment will be severe.
What can we do to minimise the impacts of climate change? Recent research has shown that even if we mitigate against the problem by cutting greenhouse gases by half, the effects would still be with us for decades to come. Mitigation policies alone are therefore no longer going to protect us from the impacts of a changing climate – we need to combine this with some level of adaptation.
To find out more about the impacts and science of climate change, go to our useful links or further reading section.
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