Climate change is expected to have massive implications both nationally and for Oxfordshire’s local environment and wildlife. At times it is difficult to imagine that our planet is warming up when rain is bucketing down. But in reality, extreme weather events, such as flooding, are symptomatic of climate change.

It is no secret any more that climate change is caused by people. Dr Dan Bebber, head of climate change research at the Earthwatch Institute, based in Oxford, says our problems began with the Industrial Revolution.

“In the past, Britons depended upon the products of the forest, from coppicing for charcoal and fencing, to large timbers for houses and ships. The Industrial Revolution shifted that dependence to coal and steel, setting climate change in motion.” But climate change is not just causing droughts in far-flung parts of the globe. Flooding has already affected thousands of Oxfordshire residents and will likely affect many more in the future. And extreme weather events in Oxfordshire will only get worse if climate change cannot be halted.

Julieanne Porter, a local resident, has seen changes not just to her local environment, but to her neighbourhood as well.

“I lived in an area that experienced mild flooding for 80 years. From 2007 we started getting regular, severe flooding that affected people’s houses.

“After being flooded four times in 18 months and living under the constant threat of flooding, we couldn’t take it anymore and decided to sell the house at a big loss just to get out of there.”

It seems that not only our homes and livelihoods will be affected, but also our wildlife will suffer too.

Earthwatch is producing cutting-edge research on the effects of climate change on local wildlife. Working in Wytham Woods, teams of volunteers called ‘citizen scientists’ and trained researchers gather data on the state of local woodlands. This important work is critical to conservation campaigners and to local organisations like the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT).

It is crucial for conservationists to know how the landscapes and creatures that they are protecting are faring in a changing climate to enable them to improve management techniques.

Conservationists are concerned about the effects that climate change will have on local wildlife, and recognise that many species will try to adapt to environmental change by moving their ranges.

This is why the work that BBOWT is doing on a landscape scale, in partnership with other local organisations, is crucial to the survival of our local wildlife.

Giles Strother, head of reserves at BBOWT, said: “Working on a landscape scale to conserve habitats and species will reconnect isolated habitats and give wildlife the chance to thrive.

“This will allow wildlife to move about freely, helping it to adapt to climate change. People will also benefit, from the protection of resources such as floodplains and woodlands, to the creation of spaces for all to enjoy.”

One key example of how our wildlife is suffering the effects of a changing climate is butterflies.

According to data released in April this year by the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, butterfly numbers have fallen to a new low.

In fact, 2008 was the poorest summer for butterflies for more than 25 years due to recent wet summers (a possible effect of our climate becoming more unpredictable) accelerating already steady declines in populations.

Butterflies are indicators, alerting us to underlying problems with the environment. So if their numbers are falling, it is highly likely other wildlife is suffering too.

But it is not all doom and gloom — if we all make an effort to reduce our own carbon footprint on the planet, we can help to halt climate change.

From switching off the light to composting, every little bit of effort adds up to make a big difference. BBOWT encourages its members and the wider public (particularly through its environmental education programmes) to cut their carbon consumption.

Change is on the horizon on a national scale too. The UN climate change conference in Copenhagen is coming up in December. Politicians and leaders from around the world (including Gordon Brown) are gathering to decide future actions on climate change, which will have huge implications for the future of the planet.

Stop Climate Chaos, a collation of more than 100 organisations as diverse as The Wildlife Trusts, Oxfam and the Women’s Institute, is organising a massive demonstration leading up to the Copenhagen conference.

Set for Saturday, December 5, ‘The Wave’ is going to be a fam)ily-friendly event.

A ‘flood’ of people dressed in blue will ‘flow’ from Grosvenor Square to Parliament, showing that a few drops together can create a flood, just as a few people can become a powerful voice for our environment. BBOWT, in conjunction with other wildlife trusts in the UK, will be at the march to ask the Government to think of wildlife when they make their climate change deals.

If you want to get into the campaigning spirit, put on your blue clothes, grab your banners and meet at Grosvenor Square in London at 12pm for the beginning of the march.

Details can be found at www.stopclimatechaos.org. For more information about BBOWT visit www.bbowt.org.uk