As a Nasa post in 2010 said:"Throughout its long history, Earth has warmed and cooled time and again. Climate has changed when the planet received more or less sunlight due to subtle shifts in its orbit, as the atmosphere or surface changed, or when the Sun’s energy varied. But in the past century, another force has started to influence Earth’s climate: humanity"
Leading scientists have set out what a global climate deal, set to be negotiated in Paris this year, needs to achieve. In a statement, they warn that the world risks dangerous climate change and crossing tipping points in the Earth systems which could lead to "dramatic and irreversible environmental changes".
These charts show the scale of their task:
The rise in global temperatures is causing the ice to melt. This affects sea levels and the habitats for animals who live in the Arctic. Animals such as polar bears whose habitat revolves around the ice are also affect by the changes.
This graph shows how much the sea levels have risen as a consequence of global warming. The hotter the earth gets, the more the ice melts, which leads to rising sea levels and thus flooding.
It’s no secret that the world population is booming. This graph shows the extent that humans are inhabiting the earth, putting pressure on the earth’s natural resources. There are around an extra 2,042m people living on the planet compared to 25 years ago.
Due to global warming the planet is heating up, which is having several knock-on effects. For example, the rise in temperatures is leading to the polar ice caps melting and also leading to droughts.
The deforestation of the Amazon rainforest has been happening since the 70s. In order to collect wood and create space for the cattle industry, the lush rainforests in the Amazon are cut down, destroying habitats and affecting climate change.
Read more:
Earth Day quiz: What you need to know
Earth Day: Apple turns stores green
Our planet’s most beautiful landscapes after we made them ugly
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