Is it too late?

We can still act now!

If we act now, if we address emissions now, we can avoid the worst case scenarios in the future. The main goal for the world must be to cut down the emission of gas that pollutes the atmosphere and destroys the climate.

To stabilise climate change altogether, emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) would have to be reduced by around 70% globally - the Kyoto Protocol doesn't propose reductions of anything near this level.

One of the main problems with carbon dioxide is the length of time it remains in the atmosphere; it can take around 100 years for it to disperse. Therefore, even if we stopped CO₂ emissions immediately, the effects of what we've already done would still influence our weather for years to come. That is why we do also need to adapt to some climate change.

However, CO₂ emissions are not going to simply stop.

The level of change depends on the amount of global warming gases we continue to use, which is turn is related to population growth, the use of new technologies and how much energy we use.

By reducing the number of climate changing gases, global warming will be more limited and there will be less impact on our planet and our lives.

A gradual and slower change to our climate is easier to adapt to as well – we should have more time to prepare our houses for changes to the weather, wildlife should have more time to migrate, and the changes to our agricultural practices should be less sudden.

Sea level rises and extreme weather – hurricanes, floods, droughts – shouldn't be as destructive as they could be.

So, it isn't too late to do something about it.

But we need to work together all of us, to do our bit to reduce emissions and reduce the damage we are currently causing. We are already seeing change and will continue to do so, and if the scientific models are right, our climate will be a very different place in the next 10 to 20 years than it is now.

What you can do to help reduce the impacts of climate change