Human Causes of Climate Change

• Fossil Fuels

  • Burnt in power stations
  • Population growth = Land used for housing = Increased deforestation and energy use
  • Population growth = Increased need for transportation, buildings, heating etc
  • Accounts for over 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions
  • e.g. Coal, Oil, Gas
• Deforestation


  • 18 million acres of forest are lost annually (UN)
  • If deforestation continues at this rate, the world's forests could completely disappear within 100 years
  • Trees photosynthesize - less trees = more CO2 in the atmosphere
  • Trees can be burnt in slash and burn, releasing carbon
• Agriculture

  • Accounts for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions
  • Cattle farms and flooded rice paddies release lots of methane
  • As world population increase, so does demand for food, leading to increased deforestation and use of greenfield land
  • Mass farming increases with population to produce more meat and rice.