Is It Too Late?

One of the main problems with carbon dioxide is the length of time it remains in the atmosphere as it can take around 100 years for it to disperse (even after some of it is absorbed by vegetation). 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.

However, carbon dioxide emissions are not going to stop and with that in mind, some change is certainly expected - the level of change depends on the amount of greenhouse gases we continue to use, which is turn is related to population growth, the use of new technologies and how much energy we use.

The European Commission has set a target adopted by all industrialised countries of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to an average of 30% below 1990 levels by 2020.

This is the magnitude of reduction which is required, the Commission believes, to have a 50/50 chance of limiting the global temperature increase to 2C above pre-industrial levels.

By reducing the number of greenhouse gases even marginally, the rate of change should be less and therefore there will be less impact on our planet and our lives. A gradual change to our climate is easier to adapt as well - we should have more time to prepare our houses and other buildings for changes to the weather, wildlife should have more time to migrate, and the changes to our agricultural practices should be less sudden.

Like the Stern Review, the European Union’s Energy Review concluded that it will be cheaper to take the required measures now to limit climate change than it would to deal with the consequences if nothing is done.

Most commentators say it isn't too late to address climate change and that we need to all work together to do our bit to reduce emissions and the damage we are currently doing to our local environment. We are already seeing change and will continue to do so, but if the scientific models are on the right lines, our climate will be a very different place in the next ten to twenty years to what it is now.