The climate is changing and our planet is getting warmer. More carbon dioxide and other 'greenhouse gases' are being released into the atmosphere due to human activities. Because of this, a delicate atmospheric balance has been altered which means more of the sun’s heat is absorbed by the planet rather than reflected back into space. Scientists across the world have now reached a consensus that climate change is man-made and that its up to us to do something about it.

In April 2007 the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Fourth Assessment report on global warming. Its warning is stark: unless we cut down on the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere we face dire consequences. In its worst-case scenario, if we do nothing, average global temperatures may rise by over 6 degrees by 2100. This will lead to rising sea levels which will swamp coasts, increase the severity of storms and droughts, extinguish species and cause economic depression. By contrast the Stern Report states that if we spend just 1-3% of current GDP to combat climate change, we can avoid the worst effects.

We can’t stop climate change happening but we can still stop it getting worse – if we act now. We need to go on a carbon diet – and going green is the best way of cutting down. The average Briton produces around 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and we need to cut our average to just over 4 tonnes by 2050.

There are many ways that you can change your lifestyle to reduce your carbon dioxide emissions and combat climate change – from insulating your home to cutting back on flights. Read on through this guide to find out more.

Current impacts of climate change
It’s getting hotter and spring is coming earlier in the UK. The Met Office has confirmed that April 2007 was the warmest in the UK since records began in 1659 and observers throughout the UK have noted that plants are appearing earlier after winter each year.

All over the world glaciers and snow caps are retreating. Kilimanjaro in Africa – literally the ‘mountain of snow’ – has lost more than 80 per cent of its ice sheet since 1912 and the last snows will probably have gone by 2020.

Recent news from China says that glaciers covering the massive Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are shrinking by a shocking 7 per cent per year. As many Chinese in the area get their drinking water from the annual ice melt, once the glaciers are gone millions will be left with no fresh water source.

Sea levels are rising – by as much as 3mm per year – because of this ice melt and because the seas are getting warmer – an effect called thermal expansion. The Arctic and Antarctic are beginning to recede and this process is speeding up. Many polar scientists now believe that before the end of the current century the Arctic icecap will melt entirely during the summer months

Rising sea levels threaten low-lying countries like the Netherlands and Bangladesh, and island states in the Pacific like Tuvulu will soon be swamped by the sea and lost. Cities like New York and London are also under threat.

Droughts are on the increase – much of Australia’s prime farm areas are enduring the worst drought in 100 years. The Reserve Bank of Australia predicts that the drought will slow economic growth, as a result of a drop in farming output, with annual economic growth falling from 1.9% to 1.15%.

A corollary of increased drought is the increase in severe rains and flooding due to heavier than normal rainfall as climate variations become more pronounced. Heat waves, too, will become more extreme. The heat wave across Europe in 2003 was directly responsible for nearly 30,000 deaths.

As the seas warm up more energy is released into the atmosphere which causes more violent hurricanes and typhoons. The effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans in August 2005 was catastrophic. There are still more than half a million climate refugees unable to return to the city. The total cost of the damage has been estimated at over $80 billion.