Tackling climate change

Policy Brief

There is near universal agreement that the rapid and accelerating accumulation of man-made Green House Gases (GHGs), driven by fossil fuel consumption and deforestation, needs to be tackled urgently.

Global warming is already underway and if allowed to run unchecked could trigger sudden catastrophic climate change. The international targets for reducing GHG emissions agreed at the failed Copenhagen summit in 2009 are insufficient and according to a recent study will likely lead to a three degree rise (Celsius) in temperature by 2100.

A rise of this magnitude is associated not just with significant falls in crop yields and water availability but also with a substantial rise in the number and severity of natural disasters, such as floods and droughts. Tackling climate change is fast becoming an urgent priority as ice packs melt, sea temperature rises and rainfall patterns change.