"Scientific measurements have shown beyond doubt that the Earth is getting gradually warmer and that the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is on the increase. While some people may continue to doubt the link between these two phenomena or that the escalation in atmospheric CO2 is due mainly to human activity, it is now widely accepted in both scientific and political circles that man-made climate change is a reality.
The magnitude of change and the potential consequences are still open to debate, but there is general consensus that we should be focusing our attention on mitigation. Since the articulation of the Kyoto Protocol in Japan in 1997 and its global acceptance in 2005, 183 countries, including the entire European Community, have formally committed to significant reductions in CO2 emissions. Despite this, little real progress has been made, with the United States failing to sign the treaty and China and India (among many others) currently refusing to ratify it. Even among signatories, emissions have, in most cases, continued unabated. In fact, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Russian Federation, New Zealand, Italy, and others have actually increased their emissions significantly in the decade since signing the Protocol... Continue Reading..."
