Acqua For Life – Help us raise drops for those in need of safe, clean drinking water. Learn the Issues: Climate Change. Gateway to the UN System's Work on Climate Change - The Earth's Changing Climate. Warming more and faster — The rate of warming of the Earth’s average surface temperature over the last 50 years was nearly twice the rate for the last 100 years.
Over the past 100 years, the Earth’s average surface temperature rose by around 0.74°C. If atmospheric concentrations of the dominant greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, were to double compared to pre-industrial level, this would lead to an average warming of around 3°C. The late 1990s and early 21st century had the warmest years since modern records began. Arctic sea ice has been shrinking on average by 2.7 per cent per decade. U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Home Page.
Impacts of climate change on the marine environment. Marine species affected by climate change include plankton - which forms the basis of marine food chains - corals, fish, polar bears, walruses, seals, sea lions, penguins, and seabirds.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a further rise of between 1.4°C and 5.8°C by the end of the century. Climate change could therefore well be the knock-out punch for many species which are already under stress from overfishing and habitat loss. Earth Hour. It is the biggest environmental awareness campaign ever seen!
When is it? Earth Hour takes place once every year. On the last Saturday of March. What's the aim? To raise environmental awareness and get us doing small things in our daily lives that together can have huge impacts. IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.