All of us are aware that we live in a constantly changing climate, but it wasn't until the early part of the last century that scientists began to speculate mankind's activities might have some impact on the climate of the planet.  The tremendous growth of industrialisation, powered by fossil fuels meant that man was releasing unprecedented amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutant gases into the environment.  These gases were known to have an effect on the delicate balance of the earth's climate, due to their involvement in the so called greenhouse effect.  Under normal circumstances, around fifty percent of solar radiation is absorbed by the oceans and the surface of the planet, a further twenty percent warms the atmosphere and the remaining thirty percent is reflected back into space by clouds and the polar ice caps. This process has been responsible for the stability of a climate that has enabled life to flourish on earth.  However the 'greenhouse gasses', carbon dioxide, methane and ozone interfere with this process acting as a barrier, which inhibits the reflection of unwanted heat back into space.  These gases absorb the heat and maintain it in the atmosphere, producing a warming effect on the climate.

 At first, scientists who suggested that human activities were significant enough to be involved in warming the planet, were largely disregarded. But since the late 1950's a systematic effort to measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has revealed an alarming growth in the levels of greenhouse gases along with a corresponding rise in global temperatures.  The picture drawn by this statistical evidence is compelling and the phenomena of global warming is now recognised as the consensus view of the world's scientific community.  In 1988 the United Nations, established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  The IPCC draws together the work of more than 1,000 international scientist, whose research details the causes of climate change and its evolving social and economic impacts.  The seriousness of the situation they have identified is reflected by the increasing attention given to issues of climate change by governments around the world. In 1992, the Earth Summit in Kyoto Japan produced the first ever international commitment to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions to a level that  would prevent dangerous influences on the climate.  However, the Kyoto Protocol failed to achieve universal agreement and controversy that surrounded its relatively modest goals reflects the profound difficulties which face the world in achieving a low carbon future. Subsequent summits and international negotiations have continued to work towards a reduction on greenhouse gases, but real achievement has been limited and any significant impact on the climate has yet to be achieved.