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Global Warming Quick Facts

Global warming refers to the noticeable rise in global temperatures as a result of human activity.
When we talk about "Greenhouse gases"; we mean water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. In the right quantities, they are good for our planet as they work together to protect it from becoming too cold to live on. The trouble is, too much of these gases are being added to our atmosphere, and so our planet is warming up.
Between 1900 and 1999 the world emitted an estimated 250 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels. The 20 countries that emitted the most carbon dioxide during this time were responsible for 200 billion tonnes of that total. The top five countries were the USA, Germany, Russia, China and the UK.
If the Earth continues to heat up, we may have to deal with problems such as extreme weather, melting land ice and shifting season patterns.
Global conferences have produced agreements to reduce global warming. In the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, countries agreed to cut carbon dioxide levels by the year 2000 to the levels that they were at in 1990.
At the climate change conference in Kyoto in 1997, countries agreed to cut Emissions by 5.2 per cent of 1990 levels by 2012.
We can all make a difference to Earth's future and prevent global warming. A good way to start is by using less energy and learning to recycle.