Global climate change - we need to act now

It is now accepted that human activity has been responsible for warming of the Earth of around 1°C since the beginning of the industrial revolution. There have always been particularly hot summers, like the one in 2018 and 2019, but studies of climate data over recent decades show an above-average number of consecutive hot years, pointing to a lasting change in the climate.

Emissions causing global warming

The increase in average temperatures is caused by the greenhouse effect. This describes the effect by which gases in the atmosphere allow solar radiation to pass through while, at the same time, blocking the radiation of heat from the Earth to outer space. The greenhouse effect also exists as a natural phenomenon: without it, the average temperature on our planet would be -18°C.

The oceans store CO₂ – but at a cost

The consequences of global climate change are not only being felt on land. High concentrations of greenhouse gases are also leading to profound changes in the oceans. Over the past 200 years, the oceans have stored more than a quarter of the world’s C0₂ emissions. This has saved us from even more extreme warming of the climate, but has also had far-reaching consequences.

Absorbing CO₂ reduces the pH value of sea water, leading to an effect known as acidification of the oceans. This acidification is making it more difficult for sea creatures, such as corals or shellfish, to form their calcium carbonate skeletons. The effects of acidification and ocean warming can already be observed today: fish populations are decreasing more than can be explainedby overfishing, shellfish colonies are reducing in size, and marine populations are migrating toward the poles.