Climate Change for Beginners

Is global warming is real? There is so much evidence that at least 97% of climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming. It’s as settled as the link between smoking and cancer. So why do so many people still think it's a hoax?

On today’s podcast we will answer the question ‘What is the Green New Deal’?

If you’ve heard a lot recently about the Green New Deal but still aren’t quite sure what it is, you are not alone. It has been trumpeted by its supporters as the way to avoid planetary destruction, and vilified by opponents as a socialist plot to take away your ice cream. So it’s bound to be somewhat confusing.  We explore its history and what it means for the climate crisis.

Extinction Rebellion have glued themselves to trains, blockaded major bridges, and chained themselves to government buildings. So who are Extinction Rebellion and what do they want?

On this special 2020 New Years Day podcast I will be discussing 3 facts everyone must know about climate change going into the new decade.

Fact 1: 18 of the 19 warmest years have occurred since 2001.

Fact 2: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Hit a Record High in 2019

Fact 3: Natural gas has become the biggest driver of emissions growth

As we enter this new decade it’s clear: we need to shift decisively away from fossil fuels (including natural gas), invest in renewable energy and focus on developing shared community based solutions to adapt to a warmer world.

On today’s podcast we will answer the question Which gas causes global warming?

Please subscribe to ‘Climate Change for Beginners’ and if you would like to submit a question for a future podcast  please visit climatechangeforbeginners.com.

Scientists predict we’re currently on track for a heating of somewhere between 3C and 4C for 2100

Four degrees may not sound like much – after all, it is less than a typical temperature change between night and day. It might even sound pleasant. However, if the entire globe heats by 4C it would render the planet unrecognisable from anything humans have ever experienced.

So, what will happen if the world becomes 4 degrees warmer?

The melting of the ice caps is one of the best known of climate change’s many effects on planet earth. This year Arctic sea ice dropped to its second ever recorded level So why is the Arctic melting?

Subscribe to ‘Climate Change for Beginners’ and if you would like to submit a question for a future podcast please visit climatechangeforbeginners.com

The world is in the midst of an unprecedented oil and gas drilling rush—brought on by a controversial technology called fracking. But along with rush have come reports of poisoned drinking water, polluted air, mysterious animal deaths, industrial disasters and explosions.

So what is fracking and what damage does it cause?

We are facing an unprecedented global emergency. Life on Earth is in crisis: scientists agree we have entered a period of abrupt climate breakdown, and we are in the midst of a mass extinction of our own making. This is leading people more and more people to ask What can I do to stop climate change?

Dr Ciarán O’Carroll is scientist turned activist.

He was awarded a PhD in chemistry from Maynooth University, Ireland where he researched new green technologies to reduce pollution from agriculture.

Greta Thunberg is known to millions as the lead figure of school strike for the climate (also known as Fridays for Future).

She’s also become famous for her short and scathing speeches about world leaders failure to act on the climate crisis.

So who is she and where did she come from?