The burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of the natural world has accelerated the effects of climate change over the last century. Since the mid-1960s, levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) have been on the rise, fuelling global warming. Global warming, in turn, results in more droughts, more flooding and more extreme weather.

The scientific consensus agrees rising temperatures need to be limited before the end of the 21st century or the planet faces irreparable damage. The current goal is to keep global warming well below 2C degrees above pre-industrial levels. But as dire climate reports show, in many cases, the damage has already been dealt. So, who do we blame for the direction the planet is headed and is there anything that can be done to prevent further catastrophe? According to Gareth Redmond-King of the World Wide Fund for Nature UK (WWF UK), there are many “culprits in the blame box”. READ MORE: Humans are releasing 100 times more CO2 than volcanoes, study finds

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READ MORE Climate change report: Rapid sea-level rise will hit a billion people But some of the responsibility lies on those who have willfully ignored climate science and, more importantly, those who have funded climate change denial over the years. Mr Redmond-King, who is the head of climate change at the WWF UK, told Express.co.uk climate science cannot be denied. He said: “I think there are a lot of culprits in the blame box over the years. “I think some of those have been politicians who have been too timid and haven’t taken action as urgently as they should have done.

“We wouldn’t need to act so urgently now if we started to a lot of this earlier on, given how long we’ve known.

Some of the blame lies with some of the biggest companies in the world who have benefitted the most Gareth Redmond-King, WWF UK

“Some of the blame lies with some of the biggest companies in the world who have benefitted the most on fossil fuels, who have famously – some of them – spent an awful lot of money lobbying against climate action and suppressing evidence of climate change over the years, and indeed putting out alternative version of the story to try and muddy the waters and slow down action.” Mr Redmond-King said that last tactic, in particular, is still “disappointingly” effective in some countries. But the climate expert is positive here in the UK there has been a strong cross-party consensus about the effects of climate change. DON'T MISS

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READ MORE CO2 was not a problem until 1965 but we already face consequences Mr Redmond-King welcomed all efforts by the British Government to tackle head-on CO2 emissions and the burning of fossil fuels, even if more still needs to be done. He also welcomed the rising awareness among the public and encouraged all efforts to curb plastic use, meat consumption and attempts to live cleaner and greener lives. A recent poll of 2,018 people found more and more Britons are awakening to the effects of climate change. The poll also found 62 percent of respondents agreed the climate crisis requires decisive action.

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Mr Redmond-King said: “There are still voices who deny it, there are still voices who challenge it and there are still organisations and companies who try to delay action. “But this is why we all have a responsibility to raise our voices and demand from politicians that they act and spend our money on the right thing.” The UK, as part of the European Union, is one of the 174 signatories to the crucial Paris Climate Agreement. The climate accord outlines the world’s agenda on climate change, holding countries to task on their contributions to CO2.

In June this year, the Government also committed to cutting its CO2 greenhouse emissions to almost zero by the year 2050. Then-Prime Minister Theresa May dubbed the climate policy a “moral duty” to leave the planet in better shape than it is now. According to US space agency NASA, atmospheric levels of CO2 are now at their highest level in 650,000 years. As of August 17, 2019, CO2 levels stand at 411.84 part per million, compared to 378.21 parts per million in January 2005. The space agency said the greenhouse gas is a major contributor to rising temperatures around the globe.

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