You may have heard about climate change and global warming at school or in the news and wondered what it is all about. Well, climate change is one of the most important environmental issues facing Scotland and the world today.

Climate refers to the usual weather patterns, such as temperature, rainfall and wind, that can be found in an area. The climate varies depending where you are in the world.

All living things depend on the climate that they are exposed to. It has taken million of years for life to become used to these conditions, and most changes to our climate have occurred slowly (over thousands of years), making it easier for living things to adapt. Now that our weather and temperatures are changing more quickly, it is feared that many animals and plants may not be able to cope and could die. This could result in the loss of some animal and plant species in certain areas of the world or altogether.

Over the last 50 years, Scotland’s average temperature has risen by 1°C. This may not seem very much, but scientists are worried that even this small rise has had a big impact on our climate. Also, it is predicted that Scotland’s temperature may increase by a further 4°C by the end of this century.