Both the ecosystem and the climate are changing. For the climate, this means we are likely to see:
- More flooding.
- Faster coastal erosion.
- More heat-waves, droughts and extreme weather events.
We need to act now to prepare for these changes. The climate emergency is the most pressing global concern, to date. However, damage to the environment effects our health and lifestyle in many ways:
- Burning fossil fuels at current rates damages our climate, oceans, ice sheets and global sea level. The recent United Nations 2021 IPCC Report has been stated to be 'code red for humanity'.
- Air pollution is a global health risk that causes about 7 million premature deaths each year.
- From 2000 to 2019, there were 7,348 major recorded disaster events. These claimed 1.23 million lives and affected 4.2 billion people (many more than once). This has led to around US$2.97 trillion in global economic losses.
- More and more people across the world now face:
- A shortage of freshwater.
- A slumps in food production.
- Floods, droughts and wildfires.
- At present, the species extinction rate is around 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the "background" rate. (The average rates during the evolution of Earth).
By working together, we can reduce the damage to our environment. We, along with our partners, are taking steps to address these global issues through local actions, such as:
- Climate Emergency. Changing Calderdale into a resilient low carbon economy.
- Environmental Management System. Reduce our own negative impact on the environment.
- Corporate travel plan. Reduce the impact of our travel.
- Household recycling and recycling at the Council. Reduce, reuse and recycle waste.
