Did the climate of the earth become appreciably warmer in the 20th century? What evidence suggest that this can be linked to human activity?
             There is widespread fact that the earths temperature has increased 0.3 – 0.6 C in the past 100 years. Some changes in the physical features of the earth is also an indication of the temperature rise (UNEP). Examples of this include the melting of mountain glaciers and a decrease in the planet's snow cover has also been recorded. It has also been recorded that sea levels have risen 1-2mm a year during the past 100years (UNEP)
             Greenhouse gases are usually naturally occurring however the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) through industrial and agricultural practices has increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (UNEP). This increase concentration is likely to result in higher global temperatures.
             Trees are a main user of the gas CO2 (carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas) large scale deforestation has can be also related to the increase of global temperatures. (UNEP). Greenhouses gases such as CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) are a direct result of human industrial processes, the releasing of CFC's has been occurring since the 1930's.
             Outline the core proposals advanced under the Kyoto Protocol to meet global warming. What sort of impact would they have on the climate in the next century?
             The Kyoto protocol was a united agreement between 160 nations, its aim was to reduce the levels of emissions of each country. Its mission for the world is to reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide to 5 per cent below the 1990 value by 2012.
             The Kyoto protocol establish a permit system for each country. The permit system allows each country to emit a certain level of emissions, if the country goes over its quota then it has to pay fine. Some countries that do not use a lot of fossil fuels or are fossil fuel efficient can sell their perm
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