Lithuania's contribution to the IPY

Lithuania has issued this very representative souvenir sheet for the International Polar Year 2009, closing year. Designed by G.Luzinienė and printed by Osterreichishe Staatsdrukerei GmbH printing-house in Vienna (Austria), the sheet was issued on March 27, 2009.

Very "apropos" is the depiction of the dangers caused by pollution and high gas emissions, as represented on the left by 3 smoke stacks.

If there were no the Earth’s atmosphere, which transmits sunlight like a greenhouse but keeps the Earth surface warm, the sunlight, reflected by the Earth’s surface, would instantly fade in the space. Gases accumulated in the atmosphere trap the heat given out by the Earth and cause the so-called greenhouse effect.

Power plants generating electricity and heat, vehicles, factories, and other activities of man increase the concentration of gasses around the Earth enhancing the greenhouse effect and leading to the increase in temperature and climate change.

The melting of polar ice caps, retreat of mountain glaciers, rising sea level, storms, floods, dry years, heat waves, and shortage of drinking water can be named as the consequences of climate change.

In order to stop climate change, it is necessary to reduce the emission of gases contributing to the greenhouse effect.