Climate change will affect all of us in Cornwall...

The blanket of gases that keeps the surface of the earth warm and able to sustain life is getting thicker, trapping in more heat. This is caused by the release of greenhouse gases as we burn fossil fuels for energy and cut down forests. Scientists now agree that to avoid radical changes in temperature in the future, action is urgently needed now. A recent report by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has also agreed that our actions are directly responsible for causing climate change.

Climate change will affect all aspects of our lives. Even though it’s a global issue, its impacts are already being seen and felt in Cornwall and the UK and we therefore need to take action to reduce the threat. In Cornwall, as a result of climate change, we are likely to experience:hotter and drier summers; milder and wetter winters; an increase in stormy weather and an increase in storm surges from the sea.

The latest report from the IPCC indicated that:

Warming of the world’s climate system is unequivocal. The Earth has warmed by 0.74°C over the last century and about 0.4°C of this warming has occurred since the 1970s. Eleven of the last twelve years rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature;
The role of human activities in the observed changes is now clearer than ever, as a result of increasing greenhouse gas emissions;
Future warming is strongly dependent on our emissions;
Globally-averaged sea level is projected to continue to rise;
The world’s oceans are expected to become more acidic as carbon dioxide concentrations continue to increase. This will have detrimental effects on ocean ecosystems;
Rising global mean temperatures are expected to be accompanied by many other changes in the climate system, including weakening of some large-scale ocean currents and shifts in rainfall patterns.

Looking closer to home, here in the UK, Defra report:

The ten warmest years on record have all been since 1990;
During August 2003, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK was taken in Brogdale in Kent. It was 38.5°C;
In just nine days in August 2003, over 2,000 people in the UK died as a result of the heat;
The autumn and winter floods in 2000 in the UK were the worst for 270 years in some areas. Flooding on farmland cost the farming industry nearly £500 million.

Why its important…

Currently the way we all live our lives and carry out everyday actions such as travelling, heating our homes and businesses and using electricity for lights and appliances relies mainly on coal, oil and gas (fossil fuels). Every time we drive somewhere, or switch on a light or appliance, we are releasing greenhouse gases and in particular carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Every tonne emitted commits us to more warming.

However, we can do something about it – every tonne of emissions avoided reduces the threat of climate change. This is why we need to address this issue now, wherever we can. Everyone can do something to help by taking simple and easy steps to reduce our energy use and therefore stop unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions. Simple things like switching off unneeded lights and turning off appliances that are not in use do make a big difference.

The climate has already started to change – we must do everything we can to stop further changes, and adapt to the new situation we find ourselves in. The solution to climate change is in our own hands, we just have to accept that we can do something about it. Lots of people in Cornwall have already decided they need to do something to stop climate change and you can find out why, and how, they are taking action by looking at the climate radio stories we have produced so far.

Together this generation will tackle climate change.

Further information....

If you want to find out more about climate change now visit the understanding climate change part of our website, where you can:

find out what climate change is
find out fact from fiction
look at the history of climate change
see what climate change will mean for all of us

You can find out more about the latest international scientific research on climate change from the In tergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

You can also watch a two-minute film that starts to tell the story of why climate change is happening and why it needs to be tackled together. Children can see a simple animation:

Windows Media Player Click here for High Bandwidth version Click here for Low Bandwidth version QuickTime Player Click here for High Bandwidth version Click here for Low Bandwidth version
Children can view an animation that explains in simple terms how climate change happens by clicking here

Downloads....

To view the film you will need QuickTime Player or Windows Media Player and these can be downloaded for free by clicking one of these links. Alternatively you can request a DVD copy of the film to be posted to your UK address.

To view the animation you will need Macromedia Flash Player and this can be downloaded for free by clicking the link.

House image courtesy of and copyright of EST

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