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Entertainment Competition - National Geographic
Six Degrees Could Change The World
How is it that cheeseburgers consumed by Americans have a larger carbon footprint than all the SUVs in America? And how can we play our part in stopping climate change? As the volume of greenhouse gases increases yearly, scientists are warning that the average global temperature could soar by as much as 6°C over the next century, which would cause our world to change radically. Here, British author Mark Lynas and climate experts take a look at what effect each rise of 1°C could have on the world.
Even if greenhouse emissions stopped overnight, the concentrations already in the atmosphere would still mean a global rise of between 0.5 and 1°C. But what if the global temperature increased by another degree? According to Mark Lynas, author of Six Degrees, the changes would no longer be gradual. Greenland's glaciers and some of the lower lying islands would start to disappear. At 3°C higher the Arctic would be ice-free all summer, the Amazon rainforest would begin to dry out and extreme weather patterns would become the norm. An increase of 4°C would see the oceans rise drastically. If the global temperature rises again by another degree, we get to the twilight zone of climate change where part of once temperate regions could become uninhabitable and humans fight each other for the world's remaining resources. The 6°C rise is what is called the doomsday scenario as oceans become marine wastelands, deserts expand and catastrophic events become more common.
This thought-provoking film tackles in startling detail the alarming changes that may face us as the planet heats up.
The show premieres on Sunday 24th February at 7pm on the National Geographic Channel and to celebrate we are giving away the perfect green gadget. One lucky person will win a Trevor Baylis wind-up media player - no need for batteries. All you have to do is answer this:
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