COMMONCLIMATE INITIATIVE

 Together we are taking action    to  save our climate and our future! We want to do more to help the environment

  

Getting to Know…

  

 

Are Human Activities Contributing to Climate  Change?

A comprehensive assessment by the IPCC of the scientific evidence suggests that human activities are contributing to climate change, and that there has been a discernible human influence on global climate.

Climate changes caused by human activities, most importantly the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and deforestation, are superimposed on, and to some extent masked by, natural climate fluctuations. Natural changes in climate result from interactions such as those between the atmosphere and ocean, referred to as internal factors, and from external causes, such as variations in the sun’s energy output and in the amount of material injected into the upper atmosphere by explosive volcanic eruptions.

Why is climate change so serious?                                                     

Changes as small as a 2°C global temperature rise will have serious impacts: rising sea levels, extreme events like droughts and heavy rainfall, leading to disruption to natural and man-made habitats. 

That’s why so much effort is being made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to stop the most damaging climate change, known as mitigating climate change. 

What can we do about climate change?                                  

The biggest effects most people have on climate change come from:  

• energy used at home
• travel
• the food we eat

Most other environmental problems, like pollution or loss of rare animals, are also a result of everyday demands for food, products and energy.

Saving energy at home is one of the most important things we can do to fight climate change and can save our money.

Turn down your heating

Buy energy saving products                      

Choose fuel saving cars  

Drive less  

Waste less food  

Buy climate friendly foods

Buy wildlife friendly foods

Recycle and waste less

Reuse and repair

Recycle more                                                            

Get composting   

Greener shopping

 

Global action on climate change

Governments around the world have signed up to a number of agreements to combat climate change.

Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, countries agreed to take action and reduce emissions. The Kyoto Protocol set laws requiring countries to lower emissions.

 Latest agreements

A United Nations (UN) conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 aimed to decide what the global targets and action will be after 2012 (when the Kyoto targets expire).

The Copenhagen conference resulted in the Copenhagen Accord, signed by the majority of countries. The accord includes:

• international backing for an overall limit of 2 degrees Celsius on global warming
• agreement that all countries need to take action on climate change
• financial help for the countries most at risk from climate change

 

Act Today and save Tomorrow!