A natural blanket of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere keeps the planet warm enough (average 15°C) for life as we know it. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution 250 years ago, human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases (for example, carbon dioxide) have made the blanket thicker, trapping heat and causing global warming. The three warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998; 19 of the warmest 20 since 1980. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted when we burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil (including petrol and diesel) and natural gas which we need to generate electricity in power stations, fuel our vehicles, heat our homes and produce goods. Approximately 20% of global CO2 emissions come from deforestation and agriculture also contributes a range of greenhouse gases.
Already we are seeing the results of climate change: more extreme weather events (which hit the world’s poorest communities the hardest) such as droughts, floods and heat waves. Arctic sea ice is shrinking and glaciers are retreating – a quarter of glaciers have disappeared from the South American Andes since the 1970s. These changes have a lasting implication for people, our economies, species and the environment we live in.
Global temperatures are predicted to rise by between 1.5 and 6°C over the next century, unless we reduce the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Local temperature rises in some parts of the world will be much greater. Collectively, we must reduce our emissions by 50-85% of 2000 levels by 2050 if we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
Your carbon footprint is a measure of your personal contribution to climate change. Every time you flick a switch, get in your car, turn on your heating or have a hot shower, you are consuming energy and therefore contributing to CO2 emissions. So think about your daily actions and make a pledge as part of the Race for a Living Planet.
To learn more about what Standard Chartered as a business is doing visit …
http://www.standardchartered.com/sustainability/index.html
Climate Change Explained
http://www.wwf.org.uk/climatechange/explained.asp