Our Changing Climate

Brent Kennedy looked at our climate today – what it is, what’s changing about it. We learned that greenhouse gases aren’t bad things – in fact, they’re essential for life on earth as we know it. For tens of thousands of years, there’s been an amazing balance between greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. volcanic eruptions, animals’ respiring) and plants using those emissions (the carbon dioxide, at least). It’s a case of ‘too much of a good thing’, however, where adding more and more greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere makes it harder and harder for the plants to keep up and, ultimately, the scale tips. We also looked at possible outcomes of a warming climate.