A Climate For Change

Most of us are aware of the issue of climate change, but have you ever stopped to think about what you can do to help tackle it?

It is well known that our climate is getting hotter. We all remember the record breaking temperatures in the summer of 2003. News that the world is now, on average, the hottest it has been for 1,200 years shows that this was not just a freak event.

The scientists tell us that the climate will continue to get hotter for a while, even if we stop producing greenhouse gases because of the time delay in the greenhouse process. The adults of this world: the politicians; parents; business people and consumers don't think that they will be around to see the effect that climate change will have on all our lives. Whether they are right or wrong, it makes them reluctant to change their lifestyles as their short-termist view sees no benefit for themselves in doing so.

Climate change is actually changing our lives right now. It is estimated that 150,000 people are dying in the world each year as a direct result of climate change. Both water shortages and floods are happening with increased frequency. Many people are finding it difficult to insure their homes because of flood risk, locking them into a new form of poverty trap, as an uninsurable house is an unsaleable house.

The Holderness Coast in Yorkshire is experiencing serious coastal erosion due to rising sea levels. Several houses and settlements have been lost to the sea and there is little we can do to halt it. A few measures have been taken to slow down the erosion process. One of these is called managed retreat. This means allowing an area of land to flood to take pressure off the rest of the coast. This is what is happening at Alkborough Flats in the Humber, in an effort to protect the city and port of Hull.

It is only really the young who take the long-term view with the problem of climate change. We are fed up with seeing our parents' generation throwing away our future. We need to remind them that it is us who will have to clean up the mess they leave us with. "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children", says the ancient native american proverb.

Too often kids feel themselves powerless to take any action. The issue of climate change seems too big for them to have any effect on. In reality, of course, it is too big a problem for any of us to ignore. We can all take action to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we produce in the home and can remind our parents that saving energy saves them money. We can take responsibilty for our lifestyle choices and where we can't reduce the greenhouse gases we produce, we can plant trees in our gardens, schools and parks to offset those emissions.

Sarah Bowler (March 2006)