Climate Change

Climate Change Facts

In this page:

What is climate change?

Watch this video by Sir David Attenborough

Since the industrial revolution, humans have burnt more coal, oil and gas (fossil fuels) than ever before, which releases lots of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. This has caused average global temperature to rise, also known as global warming. This is causing many negative changes such as extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and risk to the survival of animal and plant species, to name a few.

What is climate change caused by?

Watch this video for an overview

Certain gases in the atmosphere trap the heat we get from the Sun, which keeps the world at around 15⁰C. This is known as the 'greenhouse effect', keeping the Earth warm enough for life to survive. This is a natural process, without the greenhouse effect, Earth would be a frozen wasteland.

There are four main 'greenhouse gases' which cause the greenhouse effect, they are:

Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous oxides
Fluorinated gases (such as HFCs).

Before the industrial revolution, there was a balanced amount of these gases in the atmosphere, enough to keep the planet warm for life to survive. The problem is humans have released lots more of these gases into the atmosphere since, causing the Earth to trap too much heat, leading to the average global temperature is rising to dangerous levels. Therefore, to live in a more sustainable way, we need to stop releasing so many of these greenhouse gases.

What are the impacts of climate change?

Chances are you have probably noticed the impacts of global warming without realising their links to climate change - hasn't summers seemed hotter recently? Has your local area flooded more than usual, or flooded when it never has done previously? These can all be linked to climate change. It is predicted that in the UK summers will be hotter and drier, whereas winters will be warmer and wetter.

Climate change has already affected the UK, for example:

The UK broke its temperature record in 2022 by hitting 40.2⁰C on the 19th July. Hotter temperatures put strain on environments which are not used to them, crops struggled and water supply was low. People struggled to keep people cool, especially those who are more vulnerable to temperature changes, such as children and the elderly.
From the start of observational records in 1862, six of the ten wettest years across the UK have occurred since 1998. Flooding is becoming an ever-increasing problem, with widespread flooding at the start of January 2024 generating over 240 flood warning for England alone. More frequent and heavy floods will result in homes and businesses being damaged, farms and countryside becoming waterlogged and unsuitable for animals and plants, and increasing costs to adapt to more regular flood events.
The RSPB has estimated that 1 in 10 UK species is already at risk of extinction and over half of UK wildlife is in decline due to climate change. For example climate change is already affecting much-loved species such as blue tits and puffins.
Watch this video from Sky News to understand some of the global impacts of climate change.

Questions? Email the climate change team