Drought at Morland Beck and Flood at Crosby on Eden

 Climate change 

Few scientists now dispute that global warming and climate change are serious threats. We are all experiencing the changes, the warmest series of summers on record and more frequent and severe flood events. 

The global average temperature has been rising for at least a century. The IPCC 2001 report concluded that the average surface temperature of the Earth had risen by 0.6 centigrade degrees (+/-0.2°C) during the 20th century. 

This increase in temperature is caused by greenhouse gases such as water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane which act like a blanket over the surface of the Earth, keeping it around 20 degrees centigrade warmer than it otherwise would be. This is known as the green house effect.

You can do your bit to help - look at 'little changes make a big difference' to find tips on reducing emissions of these gases and visit http://www.carbonneutral.com to find out how to make yourself carbon neutral.