Climate Change Comes to Town

06 Nov 2006

Hackney Gazette

Climate change used to be something that only pointy headed scientists worried about. But this summer, as our back gardens shrivelled up and our lawns turned brown before our very eyes, we could all see that the climate really is was changing. This will is having far reaching affects on all our lives.

The scientific data confirms what we can all see. The temperature of the earth's surface is gradually rising. And the 1990's were the hottest decade on record. Temperatures are set to rise even more steeply meaning that the North Pole is gradually melting and that sea levels are rising. With rising sea levels will come more flooding and more extreme weather like hurricanes.

The Stern Report which the government published recently sets out the financial cost of climate change to our society. It also suggests what government can do and what we as individuals can do.

Most scientists believe that climate changed is caused by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.  Fully industrial societies like Britain and America produce the most emissions. In other words the more developed a nation is the more polluting it becomes. The Stern Report suggests many things that government can do about climate change including: reducing consumer demand for heavily polluting goods and services; making the global energy supply more efficient; cutting down fewer forests; promoting cleaner energy and transport technology and working with the World bank to create a $20 billion fund to help poor countries to adjust to climate change.

Some things that we need to do to bring down carbon emissions will be hard. We need to cut down on airline travel. But many people in Hackney do not just fly on holiday, they fly to visit relatives and to be re-united with their families. So that action to put up the price of air travel will affect, not just the relatively well off, but many quite poor people as well.

But there are things that we can all do now to bring down carbon emissions and fight climate change. We can choose low energy light bulbs and can change to a 100% renewable electricity supplier. We can choose to shop locally, and holiday locally, to walk, to use public transport or a bicycle. We should also choose recyclable glass over very expensive to recycle plastic and completely avoid Tetra Pak which can only be land fill or converted into extremely expensive rulers and clipboards. 

These may seem like small things. But, until we are all willing to make changes in our personal lives, it will be difficult for the government to enforce the big changes that need to happen.

For instance, when the government tried to keep petrol prices high to discourage travel by car, angry motorists brought our motorways to a halt. And many people are still furious with Mayor Ken Livingstone for bringing in the congestion charge designed to encourage people to reduce car use and instead use public transport.

So fighting climate change is a matter for all of us not just the government. But together we CAN save the planet.



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