The burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas releases a number of gases. We burn fossil fuels when we drive our cars, use coal-fired electricity, fly in planes or consume products. Some of the gases released from burning fossil fuels are greenhouse gases, which act like a blanket around the earth, trapping heat and warming the earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most common out of several greenhouse gases. Industrialised countries have released huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels, and have caused a human induced change in the earth's climate.

For more climate change science see the United Nations website, CSIRO's frequently asked questions and climate basics from Climateprediction.net.

Climate change is a global issue that will affect all of us. If we work together and take immediate action we can stop dangerous climate change. Industrialised countries need to reduce greenhouse pollution by 20% by 2020, and by 80% by the middle of the century, if we are to combat climate change.

The key ways to avoid dangerous climate change are:

• Set legally binding targets to reduce our climate change pollution
• Switch to renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power, and move away from dirty coal.
  
• Set energy efficiency targets to ensure we use energy wisely.
  
• Shift from private cars to public transport.
  
• Stop broad scale land clearing.

We have the technology to reduce our greenhouse pollution. Our government needs to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and legislate targets to reduce our greenhouse pollution for this potential to become reality.

For more information on the action we need to take to combat climate change, see http://www.cana.net.au/documents/real_way_forward.pdf

The Kyoto Protocol is the international plan to reduce climate change pollution. 166 countries have agreed to work within the Kyoto Protocol. It sets targets for industrialised countries to reduce their pollution, and gives them flexibility as to how they can reach these targets. The Kyoto Protocol has established the international carbon trading market. Developing countries participate in the Kyoto Protocol in a number of ways, including through the Clean Development Mechanism. The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol runs from 2008 to 2012, and future commitment period targets are being negotiated now.

More information on the Kyoto Protocol can be found here.

What is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a broad statement of principles and objectives to address climate change. Participating governments agree to share information on the amount of greenhouse gas pollution they emit, and on possible solutions to climate change, in addition to providing information and financial support to help developing countries reduce emissions.

The UNFCCC is a voluntary convention, without any binding targets. Once it became clear that under a voluntary system climate change pollution was increasing, rather than decreasing, the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated to ensure a safe climate outcome.

More information on UNFCCC can be found here.