Environment

Our planet is surrounded by a blanket of gases. This blanket keeps the surface of the Earth warm and enables it to sustain life. This process is known as ‘the greenhouse effect’ so called because it works in much the same way as a garden greenhouse – by trapping heat from the sun. Here’s what happens:

So what is the problem?
Over the last hundred years or so, this blanket has become thicker, trapping in heat because of the release of “greenhouse gasses” such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere. By burning fossil fuels for energy to heat our homes and fuel our cars we are adding to this build-up of CO₂ in the atmosphere. As a result, our climate is starting to change.

Scientific research indicates that, because of climate change, we may experience more intense and more frequent extreme weather events. A gradual increase in temperature also has major implications for ecosystems, growing seasons, and for animals and their habitats.