ABSTRACT
Climate change is one of the most challenging scientific and political issues of our time. The rapid collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica, the possible disappearance of the island of Tuvalau as sea levels rise, the decision of the reinsurance firm Munich Re to increase premiums and threats to European water supplies as a result of glacier retreat in the Alps are just some of the issues which are associated with climate change. Despite uncertainty as to whether any direct links can be drawn between current climatic events, recent trends in climate variables, such as temperature and precipitation, and predictions of global climate change, a consensus has emerged that ‘something’ needs to be done (see Box 1.1). However, questions as to what should be done, by whom, and when, remain highly contested.
