What is Climate Change

Our planet is surrounded by a blanket of gases which keeps the surface of the earth warm and able to sustain life. This blanket is getting thicker, trapping in heat as we release greenhouse gases by burning fossil fuels for energy.

By trapping more of the sun’s heat the earth’s temperature is starting to rise. This phenomenon is known as Global Warming.

Scientific research indicates that, because of climate change, we may experience more intense and more frequent extreme weather events.

The gradual increase in temperature has major implications for ecosystems, growing seasons, animals and their delicate habitats.

In just 200 years, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – the major gas that causes climate change – has increased by 30 per cent.

Concentrations of greenhouse gases are now higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years with an average near-surface global temperatures rise of 0.7°C over the past 100 years.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicated that, if we could get greenhouse gas emissions to peak and then decline within the next 10–20 years, the risk of seeing temperature changes higher than 2° C would be greatly reduced.

This is a mammoth challenge – but it can be done and that is why Cleaner Climate’s goal is to confront climate change and win by reducing emissions through our emission reduction projects. See how you can help by checking out the useful hints on in our "What can you do" section.

 Still confused? Want to learn more? Read our Climate Change Frequently Asked Questions page.