Climate change is one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing the planet.
Most of the global warming that has occurred over the last 50 years is due to human activities and particularly to the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, both of which result in the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change.
During the 150 years of the industrial age, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 31%.
In its Assessment Report (2007), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that global average surface temperatures will rise by a further 1.1 to 6.4oC (1.98 to 11.52oF) by the end of this century.
The economic costs are projected to be heavy and will increase the more we allow the temperature to rise. Climate change will have severe impacts on certain ecosystems, with some species and habitats disappearing. Global food production is likely to decline, infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever may spread, and water scarcity and poor water quality will become problems in many regions.
Weather impacts are likely to include higher maximum temperatures, more heat waves, increased summer dryness with the risk of drought and fires, or, in other regions, increases in precipitation, storms and floods. Such impacts might trigger what are termed “secondary effects”: regional conflicts, poverty, famine and migration.