Original photographs courtesy NASA

Beautiful, isn't it? A true jewel in a hostile galaxy - our orbiting space-station. Seen from this height it is obviously something we should take care of. Seen from a metre or two above the ground, where our eyes are, the Earth seems very big and we take it for granted.

Trouble is, the climate is warming. Why is this a problem? Surely, in the cold days of winter, you might of yearned for a Mediterranean climate? Well, that would be nice but there is a tremendous price to pay for such trivial comfort, and that is rising sea levels. If the West Antarctic Ice Sheet -  a vast mass of ice near the South Pole, were to melt the rise in sea level would be dramatic. Notwithstanding melting ice, the warmer things are, the more they expand. Sea water is no exception to this and warm oceans are larger than cold oceans - in fact, the major threat.

A one or two degree rise doesn't seem much, but it represents a colossal amount of energy.

Look at this lovely place: A true place of Paradise in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives are some of the lowest- lying land around. 

This may only be a memory in the not too distant future. Although the Maldives authorities are doing an excellent job in sustainable tourism, they are powerless to stop the sea. King Canute tried it once and the results are written in history.

Did you know that some islands have already disappeared under the sea?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) expect global sea levels to rise by between 11 and 88 cm this century, and to continue rising after that, based on computer models. Measured sea levels are going up by about 0.8 millimetres per year at present.

It's not just rising seas - warmer weather creates stronger weather. We regularly see in the tropics and hot countries the ferociousness of storms, powered by solar energy. As the overall climate warms, it is predicted that the instability and power of the weather systems will increase, too.

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Is the planet really warming?

Look at the chart below, based on government data. Click on it for a bigger version.

Chart -Karamal

As you can see, there is an overall rise, but with some marked variations in the UK. There doesn't seem much doubt about the global temperature, though.

We must, of course, consider that Earth undergoes quite natural and dramatic climate changes over time - for instance, the repeated ice-ages - and it is important to understand how mankind's activities vary the background changes. Not everyone agrees that what we are seeing is due to our activities. Nevertheless, we have stewardship of the planet and call ourselves Home-Sapiens "Wise man" - so lets add some wisdom if that is so! We could start by recognising that everything is finite and others will follow after us who also need to live here. Changing environment or not, we should be taking care of our home, Earth. Its the only one we have.

It is clear that the world must act now, and so must you. Here you will find practical examples of what you can do, and expert opinions. For those really detailed researches, links are provided to many environmental organisations.

In the future we will still burn fuel for energy, but with much more renewable fuel. This will stop depletion of fossil reserves and maintain a neutral carbon balance. Combustion power sources will be supplemented by other renewable supplies, too.

Next (Biodiversity & Waste)