Since the industrial revolution, the burning of fossil fuels for energy generation and transportation has powered our development, but it has also resulted in the release of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NO2), methane and other greenhouse gases. These gases build up in a layer high in the earths atmosphere and trap the sun's energy which warms the earth. There is no doubt the climate is changing. Some changes to atmospheric gases occur naturally over hundreds of years and scientists world wide now all agree that human activity is speeding up the rate of climate change. For further information, see the BBC Climate Change website.

According to the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), average global temperatures have increased by 0.6C over the past 100 years with 2004 being the hottest year on record. We can expect more extreme weather events in the future with changes in temperature, hotter drier summers, wetter winters leading to increased flood risk and rising sea levels, leading to greater coastal erosion. For more information on future weather scenarios see the UKCIP website.