Climate crisis overview
Around 90 per cent of the population in Britain live in areas that have declared a climate emergency.
Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere help to regulate global temperatures. Over the past century, human activity has increased greenhouse gases at unprecedented rates, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (natural gas, petroleum and coal). As a result, global temperatures have risen by 1°C.
In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report ‘Global Warming of 1.5 °C’ called on global heating to be limited to 1.5 °C, highlighting the devastating impact a temperature rise of 2°C would have on our food security, water supply, human security and economic growth.
Global temperatures are on track to exceed 2°C therefore, we need to take urgent action to avoid a global climate crisis.