aturally, climate constantly changes over long period of time. The problem is our world is getting warmer (global warming) so very rapidly, causing extreme environmental changes, too fast for lives on earth to adapt. Here is a brief on what causes it to become a global issue that needs our attention and actions.
There are certain gases in the atmosphere that absorb heat rather than letting it escape into the space. This creates a ‘greenhouse’ effect which makes the earth warmer. These gases are called greenhouse gases (GHG). The six major GHG are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. They occur naturally and without them our world would be too cold. However, scientific evidence shows that human activities have dramatically increased GHG in the atmosphere, speeding up the warming effect.
Carbon dioxide is considered the most important contributor to global warming. GHG are therefore measured in unit of carbon dioxide equivalent. The burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil, to meet human energy demand has significantly released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The purple line in the 1st graph below shows the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, which is in line with the upward trend of human carbon dioxide emissions (the blue line) since the start of the Industrial Revolution in around 1750. Look at the sharp rise in the last 100 years! The grey line in the 2nd graph below shows that the rise of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere aligns with the rising trend of global temperature (the blue and red bars). Notice the sharp rise?
Countries across the globe have agreed to limit the average global temperature rise to 1.5°C by the end of this century. To achieve this, we must take swift actions cut GHG emissions. The need for actions are so urgent, many countries including Wales has declared a climate emergency to commit and drive actions in their countries.
So far, we are not doing very well with curbing the rise of global temperature. Currently, the average global temperature has almost reached 1.2°C above pre-industrial level. Although there are things we individually can do, there is a need for leadership from governments over the world. Leading to the next UN Climate Change summit in Glasgow later this year, Climate Cymru is gathering voices of people who work and live in Wales to call for stronger and meaningful commitments from world leaders. Bron Afon has signed up as a partner of the Climate Cymru. You can also take part in this campaign as an individual, see https://climate.cymru/add-your-voice/