Burning Up

Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas causing climate change. Over 40% of the UK’s emissions come from the energy we use at home everyday.

To generate electricity, we burn fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) that produce greenhouse gases, in particular carbon dioxide. Cars also produce a lot of carbon dioxide, but more comes from the energy we use at home.

6 tonnes of carbon dioxide are produced by the average house each year.

The earth is getting hotter because the heat we produce is not able to effectively escape into the atmosphere. The reason for this is the blanket of carbon dioxide, combined with other gases, which has formed around our Earth. If this blanket did not exist, the Earth’s average temperature would be around -18 degrees centigrade, compared with the current average of around +15 degrees centigrade.

The increase in the temperature of our planet affects the weather, plants, animals and our health!

During the last 40 years, the UK’s winters have grown warmer, with heavier bursts of rain. The summers are growing drier and hotter.

In 2003, heat waves killed thousands of people across Europe. By the end of the century, similar heat waves and temperatures of over 40 degrees centigrade could be commonplace in the UK.

Because of the change in temperature, many of the species of animals and plants that we traditionally associate with Britain may disappear. England’s green and pleasant lands may become brown and burnt.

People living in the UK may also suffer increased health problems as a result of the greenhouse effect. Cataracts, skin cancer and even some tropical diseases, such as Dengue Fever and West Nile virus, are associated with hotter climates. In the US, the numbers of mosquitoes carrying tropical diseases recorded have increased due to rising temperatures.

To slow down the greatest disaster which could affect our planet, it is clear that our electricity use needs to change.

By: Dave Sabri

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