Guyaflux The tower measuring the net carbon effect of the forest Guyaflux

Climate change in French Guiana Planetary warming is a reality and scientific fact. Meteorological data from measuring stations show this, and French Guiana is no exception. Météo France has confirmed that the average temperature of French Guiana has increased by 0.6°C over the past half-century, and this rise has accelerated over the last two decades. Only a few years ago the causes of warming were still a matter of debate. But more recently, and especially after the publication of the latest IPCC report in 2007, only a few sceptics still deny the evidence. The increase in concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is behind this warming. Careful though, it is not the "greenhouse effect" itself which is to blame, but the ADDITIONAL greenhouse effect due to greenhouse gas emissions since the beginning of the industrial era. The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon on Earth thanks to which the average temperature at the surface of the planet is about 15.5°C. Without it the average would be close to minus 18°C, far too icy an environment for humankind. The phenomenon is simple. Solar radiation (at visible wavelengths) warms the Earth, which then gives off infrared radiation which is partly trapped by the greenhouse gases (H₂O, CO₂, CH₄, etc.) present in the atmosphere, one of whose chemical properties is to absorb infrared radiation. That helps trap the energy from this radiation in our e......