Ireland on the climate change front line

By 2050 Ireland will be a very different place from the country we know today. There will be more rainfall, more disease, fewer crops and dramatic erosion of the coastline – all as a result of climate change. Reducing our carbon footprint and doing everything we can to make the Earth sustainable now is therefore central to our existence and that of future generations.

The biggest contributor to climate change is CO2, which comes from burning fossil fuels – coal, oil, gas and peat. Almost everything we do contributes in some way to carbon emissions - from heating our houses or using transport to showering, checking email or boiling a kettle.

Other greenhouse gases are emitted from the way in which we live our lives, So too do the resources that help us to live our daily lives, such as food production and processing, the manufacture of electronics and plastics, and the construction of roads and buildings.

All these activities and many others contribute to what is called our carbon number. The challenge we face today is to reduce this number. By changing our behaviour we can each help to reduce carbon emissions, save money and contribute to the shared effort to act on climate changes.
To find our what your carbon number is visit www.change.ie. and make a commitment to tackle climate change.