In this chapter you will:

• Learn how the greenhouse effect works;

• Find out what future climate change is expected by the vast majority of competent scientists due to the enhanced greenhouse effect;

• See what effects future climate change is expected to have;

• Learn why the enhanced greenhouse effect is so difficult to deal with;

• Find out about the ways in which it could be responded to;

• Learn about what is actually being done in response to the problem, and what effect it is expected to have.

We have referred to various aspects of the climate change problem at a number of points in earlier chapters, usually in order to illustrate some point. Now we are going to look at the problem itself in its entirety. It is one of the most serious threats to sustainability. This is because of the impacts that it could entail, and because of the difficulties that responding to the problem involves. We first set out what is known about climate change due to the enhanced greenhouse effect. Then we shall explain exactly why it is such a difficult problem to deal with. Next we consider issues to do with the setting of targets and the choice of instrument. Finally, we will describe and assess what is actually being done about climate change in terms of targets and instruments.

THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM

Basically the ‘climate change problem’ relates to the fact that virtually all competent climate scientists consider that the global climate is changing as the result of human economic activity, and will continue to do so in the future.