The climate crisis explained in 10 charts
From the seemingly inexorable increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to the rapid growth in green energy The level of CO 2 has been rising since the Industrial Revolution and is now at its highest for about 4m years. The rate of the rise is even more striking, the fastest for 66m years , with scientists saying we are in uncharted territory. Billions of tonnes of CO 2 are sent into the atmosphere every year from coal, oil and gas burning. The slight reduction in 2020 due to coronavirus lockdowns was no more than a tiny blip in the continuing buildup of greenhouse gases, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The felling of forests for timber, cattle, soy and palm oil is a big contributor to carbon emissions. It is also a major cause of the annihilation of wildlife on Earth . Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and emissions are increasing faster now than at any time in 40 years of observations. Farming, especially cattle, as well as fossil fuel extraction and landfill sites are responsible. The planets average temperature started to climb steadily two centuries ago, but has rocketed since the second world war as consumption and population has risen. Global heating means there is more energy in the atmosphere, making extreme weather events more frequent and more intense. Sea levels are inexorably rising as ice on land melts and hotter oceans expand. Sea levels are slow to respond to global heating, so even if the temperature rise is restricted to 2C, one in five people in the world will eventually see their cities submerged , from New York to London to Shanghai. As heating melts the sea ice, the darker water revealed absorbs more of the suns heat, causing more heating one example of the vicious circles in the climate system. Scientists think the changes in the Arctic may be responsible for worsened heatwaves and floods in Eurasia and North America. Huge cost drops have helped renewable energy become the cheapest energy in many places and the rollout is projected to continue. Analysts also expect coal use to fall. But much government action is still required to reach the scale needed, and tackle difficult sectors such as aviation and farming. The global fleet of electric cars and vans is still small compared with those running on fossil fuels. But sales are growing very fast. Electric cars are cheaper to run , suggesting they will become mainstream. Renewable energy is intermittent, depending on when the sun shines or wind blows. So storage is vital and the cost of batteries is plummeting. But other technologies, such as generating green hydrogen, will also be needed. Support urgent, independent climate journalism Make a contribution from just 1 Become a digital subscriber and get something in return for your money