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What can we do? |
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Climate change is here and tackling it will take all parts of society, all across the globe. And here it could pretty soon lead to a few shocks and surprises closer to home too. In the UK we may see the disappearance of - our native bluebell woods - trees like the birch and the cherry - even peas, pears and broad beans And the European heat wave in August 2003 - linked by scientists directly to climate change - was the hottest in 500 years and killed over 28,0000 people including many in the UK. To combat climate change we will need new laws, new technology, and new actions. It's a big job but together we can stop climate chaos. There's a big role for the government to play. And is there one simple and fun thing you can do right now - cycle! And if you do have to drive occasionally, please switch to a car that's less gas guzzling - or even a hybrid car. To check your own car emissions try the Department for Transport Car Fuel calculator. Simply fill in your car details and you can find out your CO2 emissions in grammes per kilometre. Multiply by the distance traveled to find out how much carbon dioxide you put into the atmosphere from each journey. On average a car emits roughly 30kg every 100 miles. That is three tonnes of CO2 per year for a car doing 10,000 miles. This is roughly twice the CO2 emissions of an average train journey, but only half the emissions of an average UK plane journey. Meanwhile, a bike's CO2 emissions are - zero! You can calculate your personal Carbon Footprint using the Government's Act on CO2 calculator at Carbon Footprint calculator. This calculator focusses on the three most significant areas where our actions lead directly to CO2 emissions; household heating & lighting; appliances & gadgets; and personal transport. |
 Our native bluebell woods may disappear |
