Our research on phenology has shown clear changes in the timing of natural events in plants and animals in relation to climate (particularly temperature). These changes in plants and animals and the temperature do not appear to be a short term blip either, we have records going back to the early 1700s and there is a clear trend.
This is just us looking at one part of it and we believe it is happening.
Still unsure? How about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)? These are the world’s experts on climate change science and what they say is considered the consensus of global scientific opinion.
The IPCC’s most recent report had over 600 authors and 620 expert reviewers, that’s over 1200 experts in climate change. In case you were thinking it would be biased by any particular country those 1200 experts are from 40 different countries. In addition to this representatives from 113 governments checked the entire report line by line before agreeing to it.
So the crucial thing is what did all those experts and governments agree on?
Here is one of their key conclusions, word for word “Most of the increases in temperature are very likely to be the result of human caused greenhouse gas emissions”
Of course there are many things that are still unknown and there are inaccuracies in lots of the climate modelling that takes place but if the majority of the world’s experts and many of the world’s countries can agree that’s pretty compelling.
The hard part to this is accepting it and then doing something about it. There’s plenty more evidence about climate change from all sorts of different places, we have some good explanations at www.naturescalendar.org.uk and as an organisation we have a climate change position statement that says what we think in more detail and what we are going to do about it.
But if you are convinced and want to do more try this website, it’s a campaign that we are part of and helps make your individual choices and opinions count as part of the bigger picture. www.icount.org.uk
March 2007
