The energy we use to heat and light our homes, cook our food and power our household appliances is produced largely by burning fossil fuels.

This energy-making process produces greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), [please note the 2 should be in subscript] which directly cause global warming and climate change.

What are the consequences of climate change?
The impact of climate change is not yet fully understood, but is likely to be very significant.  Just one consequence of rising temperatures is the melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers.  This in turn means an increase in sea levels, causing many low-lying areas around the world to suffer increased flooding.  Some scientists estimate that up to 25 per cent of mammals may become extinct by 2050 and many millions of people in the developing world could become displaced.  For us in Britain climate change is likely to bring about more 'freak' weather events, such as the flash floods in Boscastle in Cornwall in 2004.  Climate change will obviously have a detrimental impact on our wildlife and natural habitats and landscapes and will impact on urban environments too.

For detailed information on the impact of climate change, please click on these websites.

What the Royal Horticultural Society thinks

Climate Change from BBC News

What can we do?
Over a quarter of the UK's CO2 emissions come from household energy use.  So, we can make a significant difference by making our homes more energy efficient.  And this is where Working Herts can help you.

http://new.independent.co.uk/environment/article357783.ece

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2004/01/09/ecnsi108.xml

http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/