Calculate your global impact and how much you could donate to offset your footprint.

Make money by generating electricity in your own home, as well as saving money off your bills.

• The scientific community agrees - climate change is happening and human activity is almost certainly the cause. In the last 100 years the Earth has warmed by 0.74°C (and by 0.4°C since the 1970s), meaning that global sea levels have gone up, glaciers and sea ice has melted, floods and droughts are on the increase, and heatwaves are worse. Moreover, we are committed to further unavoidable climate change from this past rise in temperature, including further sea level rises for centuries to come.
• The term 'greenhouse effect' was coined to describe the way some gases in the atmosphere (such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap some of the light energy from the sun after it is reflected from the Earth's surface, and before it can escape out into space, so warming our atmosphere. This is a natural process that has been happening for billions of years, and without it the Earth would be about 33°C colder - too cold for us to live on. Now, however, human influence has upset the natural balance of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and too much of the sun's energy is being trapped, causing average temperatures to rise.
• Human greenhouse gas emissions have gone from practically nothing to tens of billions of tons per year since the start of the industrial revolution. At present, over 30 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2)is emitted globally each year by burning fossil fuels, and another seven billion tonnes by changes of land use, mainly deforestation.
• It's not too late to stop climate change. The evidence is that global emissions need to peak in the next decade and then decline to well below current levels to avoid dangerous climate change. This is possible, and can be achieved with technologies that are available now. Putting off action will make it more difficult and expensive to reduce emissions in the future, as well as creating higher risks of severe climate change.
• Individuals can make a difference. Over 40 per cent of CO2 emissions in the UK come directly from what individuals do - for example, using electricity in the home and driving cars. That means we can all make a difference. If every home can install 270mm loft insulation, it would save 3.8 million tonnes of CO2 - the same as the annual emissions of around 650,000 homes.
• Countries like the UK are in a position to be a positive example to the rest of the world - if the UK can rise to the challenge successfully, others will follow. The UK is working hard with other countries to come to an international agreement on cutting emissions because we need to act now.
• There are good economic reasons to act now. Not taking action could cost from five to 20 per cent of global GDP every year, now and in the future. In comparison, reducing emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change could cost around one per cent of global GDP each year.
• Cutting your carbon footprint doesn't have to cost you a penny - on the contrary, it can save you money. For cost-free ideas on cutting your CO2 and your bills, read the article on easy ways to save money. Save money by cutting CO2
• We have already seen more intense extreme weather events such as dangerous heat waves; floods and coastal erosion; storms; wildfires; droughts; and severe declines in species biodiversity (on Earth and in the oceans). Unless we take action to reduce CO2 emissions now, these effects will become more likely and have a greater impact when they occur. The UK will face warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers, with more drought, more intense heat waves, flooding and sea level rise. The sea-level rise across the UK is projected to be between 20cm and 80cm by 2100.
• Outside the UK, developing countries (especially small island states) will be at great risk. The danger of flooding will become increasingly severe for low-lying countries like Egypt, Bangladesh and Thailand. We can expect to see continued melting of ice caps, glaciers and sea ice, significant changes in rainfall patterns and possibly more intense tropical cyclones such as hurricanes. Flooding will contaminate drinking water, expose people to toxic pollutants and make the delivery of health and social services more difficult. Droughts will increase the risk of water shortages. Food and water shortages could lead to conflict and migration.

Fridges

• You can prolong the life of your electronic equipment and make it cost less to run by looking after it. Defrosting your fridge and freezer, and cleaning filters on appliances, will make them run more efficiently amd use less energy.
• There are two key energy labels to look out for to save you money and cut your carbon footprint:

 - Energy Saving Recommended logo, used on the most energy efficient products.

 - EU energy label, grades products from A (best) to G (worst) for energy use

• Aim to keep the coldest part of the fridge between 0C and 5C. Keep a fridge thermometer in the coldest part of the fridge and check the temperature regularly.
• Remember to keep the door open for as short a time as possible. Opening the fridge door warms up the air inside the fridge.
• Remember that many jars and bottles of jams, sauces and most only need to be refrigerated once they've been opened (follow the instructions on the label) and you can leave most drinks out of the fridge. It's important not to overload your fridge. Unlike freezers, which work more efficiently when packed with food, fridges should not be overloaded as this can block the circulation of the cooling air that keeps the food cold and makes them use more energy.
• Fridges work best when you don't load them with hot food, as hot food raises the temperature in the fridge.