Unless we change direction, we are likely to end up where we are
going - Chinese proverb
The term "climate" refers to the average weather experienced
over a long period. The earth's climate changes naturally in cycles
of many thousands of years. What is now commonly referred to as
"climate change" is different from these natural cycles. The
difference is that climate change is mainly driven by greenhouse
gas emissions from human activity.
Whereas the slow natural changes allowed for the
earth's ecological systems to adapt in line with the
changing climate, man-made climate change is taking place much more
rapidly. The earth's climate has already warmed by 0.4°C since the
1970s and scientists fear that it could warm by up to 6°C by the
end of this century, causing changes potentially too great for
natural systems to adapt to.
Scientists believe that if greenhouse gas emissions are reduced
significantly, global warming could potentially be limited to
2°C.
For further information on climate change, please see our
climate change FAQ and the
climate change glossary.
For further information on the impacts of climate change on
London, see our
impacts page.
To find out more about climate projections, please see the
UKCIP
website.