Boffins in the government and all over the world agree that C02 emissions need to fall by at least 50% before 2050, before we start to see real world consequences worse than any Hollywood disaster movie.
Check out some effects of global warming on the
directgov website, whilst you might welcome the summer being a couple of degrees warmer in the UK, spare a thought for people living near the equator, or the 30% of land living species that would be threatened with extinction (including polar bears, elephants, sea turtles, tigers & many more).
Transportation accounts for over 21% of the UK’s CO2 emissions, and passenger cars emit up nearly 60% of that. Public transport (buses, trains & trams) by comparison, emit 4% of the total transportation CO2 emissions.
As a nation we can make sizeable inroads into reducing the UK’s carbon footprint by reducing car use. You still need to get around though; this is where public transport comes in as a low carbon alternative. The transport companies are doing their bit by increasing the numbers of low emission vehicles they operate. Don’t forget, there’s always the zero emission options, walking & cycling.
Find out more about green travel options. To find out what people in South Yorkshire are doing to help combat climate change, check out
www.syclimateaction.org.uk/ CO2 isn’t the only pollutant from passenger cars, oh no, there’s nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, lead, volatile organic compounds, carbon particulates. Try saying all those in one breath. Reducing car use will increase the air quality in South Yorkshire, to find out more about our air quality, and how these pollutants affect us, visit
www.care4air.org/