Climate change
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing us in the 21st century. The evidence that the problem is real, serious and urgent is accepted by the great majority of the world's scientists
A source of extensively peer-reviewed scientific information and research on climate change, including potential solutions, is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), set up under the aegis of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change to provide governments with authoritative advice.
The IPCC published a report synthesising its review of research over the previous 6 years in November 2007, with contributory reports by 3 working groups earlier in the year. These can be found on the IPCC website.
There is a great deal of information available on-line about climate change. One good source, including for signposting more widely and for information on the Government's approach to tackling the problem, is the DECC website which can be found under external links on the right-hand side of the screen.
Information about climate change science can also be found on the Hadley Centre web site. Hadley is a world-renowned centre of excellence for climate change research, based within the UK Meteorological Office
The Government Office for Science has published information explaining key aspects of the science of climate change.
Review of Climate Science Advice Services to Government
Sir John Beddington has led a review examining the Government's needs for climate science advice services over the next decade, and how these can continue to be met. The report was completed in September 2010, along with a supporting paper on high performance computing. A further contributory report by Sir John Lawton (PDF, 863 Kb) commissioned by the Department for Climate Change and completed in October 2009, gave initial consideration to these issues.
Climate tipping point
In March 2011 Sir John Beddington brought leading experts together (PDF, 406 Kb) to review the latest evidence and policy implications of climate change induced “tipping points” – critical climatic or earth system thresholds which, if passed, could lead to accelerated, committed or irreversible changes.
