Is it serious then?
Climate Change - What are the Facts?
The weather, the daily expression of the climate, is undoubtedly one of the commonest topics of conversation when people meet. This is mainly because we live in a part of the world where the climate is particularly variable both from day to day and also from year to year. We all have our own stories from periods of climatic extremes from the great winter of 1963 or the long hot summer of 1975.
There have also been long-term climate changes in Britain such as the mini-ice age in Victorian times or the very warm period in medieval times. With the magnitude of short-term climatic variations it is difficult to detect the onset of periods of changes in climate although today computer models can be particularly helpful. Most of us would agree that over the past decade the climate has changed with more frequent extremes, including more frequent severe storms, prompting us to ask the question "is the climate changing?". Meteorological records confirm that this is indeed the case http://www.metoffice.com/research/hadleycentre/
Most of us are aware that in general terms our climate is changing. One way we can see the complexities is through the study of the behaviour of plants and animals in response to changes in the climate The study of these seasonal events is called "Phenology" (http://www.phenology.org.uk). You can display pictorially fascinating information on the changes in the response of many different plants and animals found in the British Isles to climate changes over the past hundred years or more including events such as the time of the departure of the last Swallow or the appearance of the first Primrose.
Computer modelling has shown that while there is an element of natural change, the changes are partly down to human behaviour. This is as a consequence of the so-called "greenhouse effect" resulting from the increased level of carbon dioxide emissions both from the burning of fossil fuels and from other sources (http://www.ukcip.org.uk/climate_change/
Because of the clear indications of climate change the Government set up the UK Climate Impacts Programme to provide scenarios that show how our climate might change and how we might deal with these changes. The indications are that the climate of the UK will become warmer with hotter summers and with severe winters becoming increasingly rare (http://www.ukcip.org.uk/climate_change). These changes will also be accompanied by wetter winters with more frequent periods of heavy rain and generally summers are likely to be drier particularly in the south and east of England (http://www.ukcip.org.uk/climate_change). It is also predicted that the level of the sea in relation to the land will continue to rise all round most of the British Isles.
The UK Government is taking action to deal with the problems these changes will cause. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides information on climate change in the UK and on a global scale and what can be done to tackle the problems including considerations of how we can best provide energy while reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/index.htm).
Climate change is mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels and most of our energy comes from this source. Individuals can contribute to reducing the magnitude of climate change by becoming more energy efficient and there are many ways in which this can be done (http://www.est.org.uk).
One of the biggest problems in our part of Britain will be the problems of water supply. More and more homes in the south and east are increasing the demands for water at a time when summer rainfall is likely to go on decreasing putting greater pressure on future supplies (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/conserve/index.htm). DEFRA suggests there are various ways in which both individuals and organisations can contribute to the more efficient use of our limited water resources.