About climate change: Links
Other sites about climate change
This site mainly describes the government's response to climate change. However, if you want to know what you can do to help, you might like to visit the following sites:
The Carbon Trust
Works with business to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute
to climate change. It helps businesses to capture the commercial opportunities
of low carbon technologies. It provides impartial advice and runs
funding programmes.
The Energy Saving Trust
Promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy use. Its programmes are especially
for homeowners and community organisations. It also provides advice on travel
plans and vehicle efficiency for businesses and other groups.
Climate Research Unit
This unit, based at the University of East Anglia, is one of the world's
leading institutions in the study of natural and anthropogenic climate change.
UK Climate Impacts Programme
In 1997, the Department established the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP)
to help public and private organisations assess their vulnerability to climate
change so that they can develop appropriate adaptation strategies. UKCIP
can provide officials with the latest information on climate change predictions
and assessments. UKCIP has developed a toolkit to
help decision-makers evaluate how climate change will affect their areas
of responsibility and how they can prepare to adapt.
UKCIP Climate Change Scenarios
New climate change scenarios for the UK were recently launched and provide
a useful starting point for this process. The scenarios describe how aspects
of the UK's climate may change in the future, as a result of emissions of
greenhouse gases.
The Hadley Centre
The Hadley Centre for climate prediction and research, which is part of the
Met Office, provides a focus in the United Kingdom for the scientific issues
associated with climate change. The Hadley Centre's two main objectives are
to develop the best possible regional and global predictions of climate change,
and to assess current climate change and its attribution to human influences.
The Tyndall Centre
The Tyndall Centre is a national UK centre for trans-disciplinary research
on climate change funded by the research councils. It is dedicated to advancing
the science of integration, to seeking, evaluating and facilitating sustainable
solutions to climate change and to motivate society through promoting informed
and effective dialogue.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Recognizing the problem of potential global climate change, the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. It is open
to all members of the UNEP and WMO. The role of the IPCC is to assess the
scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding
of the risk of human-induced climate change. It does not carry out research
nor does it monitor climate related data or other relevant parameters. It
bases its assessment mainly on peer reviewed and published scientific/technical
literature.
The United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change
On 9 May 1992, the world's governments adopted the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change. In doing so, they took the first step in addressing one
of the most urgent environmental problems facing humankind. Five years later,
on 11 December 1997, governments took a further step forwards and adopted the
landmark Kyoto Protocol. Building on the framework of the Convention, the Kyoto
Protocol broke new ground with its legally-binding constraints on greenhouse
gas emissions and innovative "mechanisms" aimed at cutting the cost
of curbing emissions. Today, 186 countries (including the European Community)
are Parties to the Convention, more than most any other environmental treaty,
and the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol is expected soon.
Page last modified: 17 January, 2006
Page published: 01 December, 2005