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Excessive and inefficient
use of coal, oil or gas will lead to a catastrophic change of
the global climate.
Most of the energy that reaches us from the sun
arrives undisturbed on the Earth's surface. Much of it is reflected
back into space, but some becomes trapped in the atmosphere
by a blanket of water vapour and trace gases. These are called
greenhouse gases because they trap heat like the glass of a
greenhouse. This blanket of greenhouse gases is essential to
all life on our planet. Without it, our planet would be an average
30°C colder than it is today.
The world is now getting warmer because the blanket
is getting thicker. Scientists agree this is due to too much
and too inefficient burning of coal, oil and gas, which increases
the concentration of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. These fossil fuels are currently used to feed our
huge demands for electricity, heating, industrial production
and transport. In addition, intensive agriculture and the clearing
of forests release huge amounts of methane, another greenhouse
gas, into the atmosphere.
The global average temperature has risen by almost
0.7°C over the last century. This is a rate greater than
at any time in the last 10,000 years. According to the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a well-established scientific
body, global average temperature may, as a result of human activities,
rise up to 5.8°C by the year 2100. This may not seem a great
deal, but it is enough to disrupt the careful balance in our
natural environment. Global warming won't mean nicer weather
for us. On the contrary it will fundamentally change the environment
we live in, ultimately making the planet uninhabitable.
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