Key Facts
- Climate Change is the most pressing environmental issue we face today.
- A scientific and political consensus is emerging around the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% over the next 30 - 50 years.
- The global average surface temperature is projected to increase by 1.4 to 5.8 degrees celsius over the period 1990 to 2100.
- According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sea levels could rise by 9-88 cm by 2100, causing widespread flooding of low-lying coastal areas and islands. A one metre rise could displace 70 million people in Bangladesh.
- Global snow cover has shrunk by 10% since the 1960s.
- Flooding is becoming such a severe problem that the Thames Barrier may have to be raised 325 times a year by 2100 (between 1995 and 1999 it was only raised 12 times).
- The extra CO2 produced in running an air-conditioned office is equivalent to printing almost 900 million A4 sheets.
- 2,320,000 tonnes of CO2 are produced each year from London road traffic, equivalent to a jumbo jet flying to the moon and back 71 times.
- Britons waste the equivalent of around two power stations worth of electricity each year by leaving TV sets and other gadgets on standby.
- According to research, almost 80% of FTSE 100 companies consider climate change to be a business issue, and is seen as a greater priority for companies and government than terrorism or competition from the developing world.
