“Climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism”
Sir David King, Government chief scientific adviser

Global warming is now rarely out of the news and scientists are in agreement about the basic facts: Climate change is happening and it is related to greenhouse gas emissions (particularly carbon dioxide). The 1990s was the warmest decade on record, and freak weather events like floods and hurricanes have been increasing. After years of denying its existence and importance, even world leaders and businessmen now acknowledge the threat of climate change as the biggest that the world and humanity face. They are doing little to fix the problem, however. In fact, they are making the problem worse.

Low taxes on aviation fuel, subsidised road-building programmes, cuts in funding to public transport and the lack of investment in walking and cycling infrastructure have made transport the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases: emissions have increased by over 13% between 1990 and 2002, despite emissions from public transport falling. Transport now accounts for over a quarter of all emissions in the UK (26%): cars, road-freight and air travel are the main culprits.

People often assume that global warming won’t be so bad because everyone likes warmer weather. The problem is that though the earth’s atmosphere is warming on average globally, what we are really faced with is climate chaos – increased instability in the climate system meaning more extreme weather events (droughts, floods, heat-waves, storms, hurricanes and blizzards). Already, according to the World Health Organisation, 150,000 people are dying every year as a result of climate change. The effects fall hardest on those least able to prepare and respond to abrupt or dramatic changes in climate or natural disasters – the poorest people, and wildlife.

The cost of climate chaos is not only environmental and social however, it has financial implications too. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that direct financial losses could reach £213 billion a year by 2050. Money spent now will ultimately be money saved.

What is being done? Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol most industrialised countries have pledged to an average cut in greenhouse gas emissions of 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012. In reality, loopholes, and the refusal of America to take part, mean the cut will be only 2%. Meanwhile, the UN’s group of scientific experts the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommend 60-90% cuts…
So what can we do? Well, we cannot rely on governments and corporations to solve climate chaos out of goodwill, when their interests are in power and profit. We must take action ourselves to pressure governments and companies, and to change our own lifestyles.

On average, Britons travelled 5354 miles by car per year during 1999-2001, with around a quarter of all car trips being under 2 miles in length – an easy distance for walking or cycling – and traffic is increasing (Department for Transport/National Statistics 2005/ National Travel Survey 2001). The response of the government is to build more roads – despite its rhetoric on tackling climate change, and the fact that it has been repeatedly shown that more roads merely lead to more traffic. The road-building budget was nearly doubled to £1046 million in 2006-7. The simplest way to reduce traffic and road-building is to reduce your car use: walk, cycle, or take a train. You will not only help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but will arrive feeling more relaxed: you can enjoy looking at the world around you, and on a train you can read a book, write a letter to an old friend or have a nap! Better than a traffic jam, eh?

Greenhouse gas emissions from UK air travel doubled between 1990 and 2003 (Office of National Statistics 2005). Again, the government is making the problem worse, by promoting expansion of airports around the country. The plans threaten to damage or destroy 44 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 7 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and 8 registered parks and gardens (Campaign to Protect Rural England). Furthermore, the Government offers tax-breaks equating to over £9 billion of subsidy, while bus services in the UK receive fewer subsidies than in any other EU country. A simple solution is to try to travel less often and less far. Why not holiday in the UK? Much of it is beautiful and not covered in concrete (yet!). If you really need to travel long distance, consider trains and boats.

Changing transportation and opposing locally damaging developments are crucial, but there are lots of actions we can take. Taking action can be fun rather than a chore, and though individually we might not be able to change much, acting together can make messages hard to ignore. Talking about the problem and possible solutions can help build a movement that really can make a difference.