What is climate change? | Elmbridge Borough Council

Steps the council are taking to tackle climate change

Climate change is the term used for the long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns which are often because of natural changes to the planet. However, in recent history the main cause for the changing climate is our own activities, such as warming our homes and travelling by plane or car.

We need your help to protect our community and our environment from the harmful effects of climate change!

We recognise there is a long way to go, but by working together we can protect our planet.

Understanding climate change

Causes

The causes of climate change include human activities that release greenhouse gases, such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation and agriculture.

Impacts

Climate change has a long list of potentially harmful effects, with crop growth, human health, rising sea levels and extreme weather occurences just a few of the main concerns.

An image of a chimney releasing greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere

Greenhouse gases

A greenhouse gas is a gas that can absorb infrared radiation from the sun in the form of heat, like the function of a greenhouse. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH2).

Some greenhouse gases are released by human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels. Each greenhouse gas contributes differently depending on how much heat it absorbs, how much of it is in the atmosphere and how much it re-radiates. However, the global warming potential of methane and carbon dioxide is high, especially with carbon dioxide being higher than at any time in the last 800,000 years.

An image showing the three habitats on earth merging into one. These three habitats are a grassland, a dessert with a tree and a large body of water.

Global warming

The evidence for rapid climate change is compelling and is clear through rising global temperatures. The world has been getting warmer with the planet’s average surface temperature rising by 1 degrees Celsius since the late 19th century. Most of the warming has occurred over the past 40 years, and the past 7 years were the warmest on record.

The choices we make matter. Changing aspects of your lifestyle can help the environment and prevent climate change.

You can understand more about your carbon footprint with the WWF Footprint Calculator.