Carbon emissions

Carbon Emissions

Energy is used in everyday activity – most of which is derived from burning fossil fuels - that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) makes up most of these gases, but others including methane and nitrous oxide are emitted, and are just as harmful.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) absorb energy and trap heat in the atmosphere, and this is what is causing increases in average global temperatures and changes to our climate. We need some GHGs to survive, but too great an amount, and too rapid an increase, can have devastating effects on the environment, our health and the economy. In the last 150 years, human activity has been responsible for almost all of the increase in the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere, quickly changing the composition of the atmosphere. The Earth is 4.543 billion years old and has never seen such rapid change.

Watch the short (2:42) video below to learn more about fossil fuels and the impacts of their use.

Effects of Climate Change

It is estimated that we have until 2030 to reduce emissions before the effects of climate change become irreversible and out of control. Significant effects are already being felt, from increased frequency of forest fires, storms and floods, melting of ice caps and rising ocean levels, bleaching of coral reefs… we could go on.

The video below is a short (3:04) introduction to the causes of climate change and the effects it has.

Increased average global temperatures have the potential to dramatically change our planet

Click the blue '+' icons below to see what impacts different temperature rises could mean for our planet. The higher the concentrations of CO₂ in our atmosphere, the higher the potential temperature increases.