Why is Global Warming taking place?

Positive Impacts of Global Warming for Negative Impacts of Global Warming for
the UK the UK
• Mediterranean summers on the south • Many coastal ports will be flooded by
coast will encourage tourism rising sea levels
• New crops such as maize, vines, oranges • The Thames Barrier will need to be
and peaches can be grown in the south replaced
• Higher amount of some crops such as •Loss of the Norfolk Broads due to rising
potatoes, sugar beet and outdoor sea levels
•Loss of valuable farmland in East Anglia
tomatoes can be grown
•The length of the growing season will • Sea defences costing £10 billion needed
increase in Scotland producing greater to protect parts of the east coast
• Forest fires are more likely
harvests
•Arctic plants which grown in northern
Scotland may become extinct
• Most pests and diseases will exist due to
mild winters
• Increased likelihood of droughts and
water shortages in the South
•Increased number of extreme weather
events e.g. flooding

How can we manage global warming?
• In 1992 the Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the
first time that Global Warming was discussed at a global level. It was
agreed to try and reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions to the 1990 levels
but no official targets were set.
• In 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, an international agreement was decided
called the Kyoto Protocol. More than 100 developed countries signed up
to targets to reduce their Greenhouse Gas emissions. Developing
countries didn’t have to sign up but they agreed to publish their total
emissions and to put in place national ideas to help reduce global
warming. One major problem was that the USA did not agree to sign.
• Nations can reduce greenhouse gases by changing from fossil fuels to
renewable energy sources, invest in technology which uses less
fuel, cut down on the use of cars and develop public transport, control
deforestation and encourage tree planting.