Key Learning:

Before this weeks Climate Change input I was not sure what to expect because I do not have much knowledge on the area of Climate Change. I feel I have been quite ignorant with regards to the Climate Change Issues that are happening everyday and I have never thought that it affected me in a great deal or I could do anything to change it. I knew that it was happening and I heard people speaking about it but I had never fully taken any further interest.

In the lecture I learned various things about Climate Change, I learned that evidence on Climate Change is collected by weather recordings, ice cores, rocks and fossils and analysis of pollen and trees which immediately made me realise how big this issue is. Climate change is highly important because it determines the weather, affects long term decisions made by humans and it affects long term trends in plants and animals. I also learned about how Politics and Global Warming are involved in Climate Change, Politicians have a great deal of power and it is them who have the power to make changes within the world which affect our Climate Change, for example the law that everyone is charged p for a plastic bag.

After looking at The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 I learned that they have set the Scottish Ministers a target to ensure that the net Scottish emissions account for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the baseline, they must also ensure that the net Scottish emissions account for the year 2020 is at least 42%. This piece of legislation was interesting to read because it is helpful to read and see the targets that Scotland have and we should all be helping to achieve this.

Impact on my views:

The Climate Change input has significantly had an impact on my views, through the lectures and workshops I have realised how big of an issue climate change is and how it does affect me, I have also realised that I can change my daily lifestyle habits and routines to make a positive difference. I enjoyed completing the questionnaire on: http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/?_ga=1.176985891.745195644.1442412124 to measure my footprint.

My Carbon Footprint is measured at 90%. I found it helpful that this website gave you tips on how I can make improvements on my lifestyle choices and this has changed my views because I now realise that Climate Change does affect me and I can do a lot of things to make a small difference.

Next Steps:

As a result of learning about Climate Change I am now going to try and make some lifestyle changes, such as buying more local and seasonal foods, recycling more and walking to University more Instead of using the car. I feel I still have a lot to learn about Climate Change so I am going to do some further reading on this area to expand my knowledge further.