advertorial

Let's go on holiday

It's the time of year when we start thinking about getting away from it all. Whether it is weekends away at the seaside, day trips to the countryside that annual holiday abroad, spending time out in nice weather is always on our minds.
In earlier articles in Hull in print we talked about how climate change over the coming decades will change the local climate to one that has warmer wetter winters and hotter dryer summers. This past winter has been very mild and the dry periods in April are just two examples of what is going to be normal for us in Hull.
Even when we go on holiday, climate change is not left behind but travels with us. Some of our most popular destinations are feeling the effects of these changes. Southern Europe, in particular Spain, is experiencing long periods of drought putting pressure on its water resources. Stronger storms are causing coast lines to change more quickly now, which we can see on the east coast. It doesn't just stop there either.
If winter holidays in the snow are your thing, snow falls are becoming less predictable and the snow line is moving further up mountains.
The question is, 'does this mean we should stop going on holiday?' Well no, but we should think harder about where we go and how we get there.
Holiday travel whether by car, ship or aeroplane causes the emission of carbon dioxide - the main gas causing the climate to change.
But we can take some simple steps by taking holidays closer to home [to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions] or by taking holidays that don't involve large amounts of travel.
Find out how much carbon dioxide your holiday creates by visiting one of the web sites at the bottom of the page.
But you don't have to stop there. You can also find out how much carbon dioxide your home creates in a year as well.
Understanding how our lives generate carbon dioxide by using carbon calculators lets us see how our actions are affecting the climate.
www.carbonneutral.com
www.climatecare.org

Got a question about climate change? Email climate.change@hullcc.gov.uk or visit our web site at www.hullcc.gov.uk and click on Environment.