Facts
There is an overwhelming consensus in the scientific community about global warming and its causes.Climate Change is happening and it is caused by human activity. The number of sceptics is getting smaller. For more information on the science of climate change visit the New Scientist web site, and its feature Climate Change For the Perplexed.
Many scientists believe the effects of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere are beginning to be felt.
The summer of 2003 was the hottest in Europe for 500 years, and resulted in 35,000 extra deaths, 14,802 in France and 2,045 in England & Wales.
In Sheffield our warmest summer ever was in 2006, with the warmest ever April in 2007.
Sheffield had its wettest month in 125 years of record keeping in June 2007 with 269mm rain falling, the average is 67mm. On Monday 25th June 50mm rain fell causing unprecedented flooding. Only a few days before the Government’s chief scientist, told a committee of MPs that global warming has already altered the climate and the country will have to prepare for extreme weather such as heat waves and “torrential downpours”. The flooding caused 41 road closures during the early part of the incident, , one of those was the Sheffield Parkway, which remained closed as a safety precaution, as did the M1 due to the possible collapse of Ulley Reservoir.
What will this Climate Change mean for Sheffield?
- Summers will get hotter and drier and winters will get warmer and wetter
- Homes and offices will overheat in summer
- Roads are more likely to melt in summer sun
- There will be an increase in flooding
- There’ll be less snow - but still ice
- Water will be more difficult to manage - too much in winter and not enough in summer
- Energy demands will increase in summer to cool buildings
- Landscapes and habitats will change
Our Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide, usually expressed as weight.
Sheffield's total carbon footprint (based on 2004/05 consumption figures) is 5.8 million tonnes per year. This compares to the UK's total carbon footprint of almost 700 million tonnes per year.
To work out your carbon footprint, click here
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