Over the past century, the climate of the Earth has steadily warmed, the average surface temperature increasing by about 1.25' F

Scientists believe this is due to the increase in greenhouse gasses (GHG) the industrialized world is producing in increasing quantities coupled with the rapid and world wide destruction of forests and ecosystems.

GHG’s are principly carbon dioxide (CO2), but also nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), this group of gases are known as 'Halocarbons

Accumulation of GHG’s in the atmosphere is contributing to the greenhouse effect. Energy that hits the Earth from the Sun is absorbed by the Earth’s surface, which radiates it back. The GHG in atmosphere prevent this heat from escaping back to space and instead it radiates back to earth and causes the Earth to warm further. The warming is causing glaciers and icecaps to melt exposing more of the ocean and earth’s surface allowing more energy from the sun to be absorbed accelerating the warming process. If we are not able to arrest this we will pass the tipping point and the results could be catastrophic.

• If the climate warms by 2-3 degrees C by 2050-there will be 200 million new refugees from flooding
• If the climate warms by 4 degrees C there is a 33% drop in crop yields in Africa
• If CO2 emissions double by 2080 as predicted, worldwide insurance claims are estimated to increase by $500 Billion

Of the GHG’s, CO2 is the largest contributor to climate change. Annual emissions of CO2 increased in excess of 80% between 1970 and 2004. CO2 levels are now higher than they were 650,000 years ago.

How can we fix this?

We must recognize that our consumption far exceeds the earth's carrying capacity and start acting now by consuming less and slowing the rise in global CO2 emissions. It is becoming increasingly important for governments, clients, customers and business owners to be making an immediate effort to reduce demand on the worlds resources and limiting the carbon footprint of goods, services and products. By becoming Carbon Neutral we can start to make the change.

The key principles behind becoming Carbon Neutral at home and at work is where Pacific Green can help. By analyzing your footprint, we can then help you reduce the impact by understanding what causes it, taking action to reduce it, then offsetting your residual carbon footprint with offsets generated through forestry based programs. From there we must strive to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and work towards a waste free society.