The Facts

No one disputes that our climate is changing or that atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased as a result of human activities. The concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are higher now than at any time during the last 420,000 years.

Overwhelming scientific evidence supports the conclusion that observed changes in the global climate are, in large part, due to human activities and primarily related to fossil-fuel consumption patterns. Without urgent action to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, the Earth will become warmer by 2050 than at anytime in the last 10,000 years.

Shocking Facts

• 150,000 people die every year due to climate change (World Health Organisation)
• 100 million people will be flooded by the end of the century
• 30 million people may be hungry because of climate change by 2050

Climate change has begun, and its effects are more obvious by the day - ice caps are melting, sea levels are rising, and natural disasters are more frequent. This is a serious threat to people in rich countries. But for people in poor countries with limited resources to cope, it's an utter disaster - and it's a disaster that's already beginning to unfold.

The IPPC (February 2007) projected the following changes due to climate change by the end of this century:

• Sea level increases of up to 59cm
• Global temperature increases of up to 4.0°C
• Increasingly acidic oceans impacting on fish stocks and marine life
• Shrinking snow cover and glaciers affecting water supplies
• More frequent droughts and heat waves
• More intense tropical cyclones, heavier rains and more natural disasters
• Changes in wind, rain, and temperature patterns affecting agriculture and livestock production and access to water in tropical and subtropical regions