The rain has returned once again. This year has been particularly bad but are these the signs of global warming as predicted by scientists and politicians alike.

Most of us have noticed that the weather seems to be changing recently. I don't mean the fact that winter is now upon us but that the seasons no longer seem to be as seperated as they once were. Over the, so called, summer this year we have witnessed serious flooding in Gloucester and then most of September turned out quite warm. If global warming is real we should take it seriously in Taunton as most of Somerset was once a boggy marshland and could easily return to that state as the residents near the Somerset levels can attest. Almost yearly they see the fields around them take on the overspill of the river Parrot. Just last week there were reports of tornados with wind speeds reaching 60mph in Northampton, Luton, Farnborough, Hants and Nuneaton causing damage to homes and vehicles as well as uprooting a tree or two.

Average Temperature

The current average temperature of the Earth is 15C. There is evidence to suggest that the average temperature of our planet has reached as high as 27C and as low as 7C in its past. Temperature has been recorded since the late 19th century and shows that the average temperature has risen 0.6C since then. A majority of scientists are convinced that humans are responsible for the current rise in average temperature although there are a few that are not convinced. When these scientist say that humans are responsible they are claiming that there is a 90% probability that the burning of fossil fuels is the cause.

Kyoto

The worlds political leaders have set targets for CO2 emmisions to be reduced. The target they have set themselves is to have reduced their average greenhouse gas emisions by 5% by 2012. This is not a straight average however and some countries, such as Iceland, are actually allowed to increase their emissions under it. In addition to the Kyoto commitment the UK Government has pledged to reduce carbon emmisions in this country by as much as 60% by the year 2050. The agreement ends in 2012 and three of the worlds main culprits, America, China and Australia have declined to ratify the agreement.

How Are We Effected

Firstly and foremost we are effected by the changes in weather patterns that we are seeing. Terrible summers blurred seasons and more extreme weather will all get worse if global warming is a reality. We are also warned that we cannot avoid the effects over the short term as we have caused the damage already. We can expect to see more rain and more severe droughts for inland regions are also expected. Agricutural patterns are expected to change as the weather becomes more severe. It will be harder for farmers to grow the food we need without the relative stability of the four seasons. This will affect our economy making items more expensive as they will be more scarce. Our pockets will be affected even more as the government tries to persuade us to change our habits by placing taxes on items deemed bad for the environment. Tax on petrol is already 66p in every 97p and is about to rise another 2p as dictated in our last budget. Larger cars will become more expensive to buy as taxes are placed on them to convince us not to buy them.

What Do You Think

So given the small amount of facts that I have given you do you think that global warming is the reason behind the change in weather we have been experiencing? Or do you believe that we are seeing the effects of natural climate change and think we have no need to worry. Do you alternatively think that there is little point in worrying about it when we can't convince the worst offenders to change their wastefull lifestyles. I will place links to some of the information that I found at the bottom of this article so that you can review more of the details for yourself to help you decide for yourself. I don't think it would hurt any of us to become a less wasteful society.

On a lighter note I would like to welcome the newest member, Marta, to the Tauntonions community. Welcome Marta enjoy.

Calculate Your Footprint
Global Warming
Climate Map
Opposers
Majority of Scientific Opinion
The Basics
Q&A
Kyoto