Planning for the future - Environment

Climate change is real and is happening now, with over 99% of climate scientists worldwide identifying that humans have directly caused the warming we have seen over the past century.

Key facts

• The Earth is now about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the 1800s, with 17 of the 18 warmest years on record having taken place since 2001.
• The Paris Climate Agreement is an international treaty that aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C but this is likely to be reached by 2026.
• On the current path of carbon dioxide emissions, the temperature could increase by as much as 4.4°C by the end of the century.
• House sparrows, hedgehogs and some types of bees are amongst the species that have declined significantly in number in the UK since the 1970s.