ABSTRACT
Most scientists now agree that global temperatures have risen over the last century, and that this trend is reflected in such phenomena as the melting of sea ice and the retreat of glaciers. There is also a consensus that over the period the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the earth’s atmosphere has also risen, mainly as a result of burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil. The common view is that the first change is the result of the second; in other words a warmer climate has been caused by the CO2, which has the effect of causing the warmth from the sun’s rays to be trapped inside the atmosphere; the so-called ‘greenhouse effect’. If these theories are accepted it can be expected that temperatures will continue to increase in future as carbon dioxide levels rise, and since this will have harmful effects on agriculture and other human activities, efforts should be made to reduce the burning of fossil fuels.
