It is now firmly agreed in the scientific community that our climate is changing, and that is is a man-made phenomenon. Since the industrial revolution, a mix of gases has been emitted into the atmosphere that trap and magnify heat from the sun. The consequence is that the air and sea temperatures of our planet have risen considerably in a short space of time. The forecast is not good.

Click here to see a graph of global temperatures sice 1879.

In 80 years time we could see sea-levels rise by as much as 1 metre, based on current statistics; this will cause a massive decrease in the amount of available arable and habitable land. This will be exacerbated by increasing desertification around the equator and in the middle of continents as land becomes more arid. We are also likely to see a significant decrease in the amount of available fresh water, as rain patterns change. All this has a significant impact on the biosystem and on humans. Unfortunately and unfairly, the impact will be most severe in developing countries.

Poole Agenda 21 want to see Poole take firm steps to both counteract the continuing emissions of greenhouse gases, and to act to reduce the impacts of climate change.

The I Count campaign, organised by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, aims to persuade the UK national government that there is a public mandate for legislative change to combat further climate problems. For details go to www.icount.org.uk.

Go to the Take Global Warming Seriously website for more details about climate change, and how you can help reduce the impact.