Websites

Antarctic warming: early signs of global climate change
http://archive.greenpeace.org/climate /polar/antarc_report/
Satellite photographs and a series of fact sheets on the Antarctic and the rate at which the ice caps are melting.

Bush advisor claims climate change is a conspiracy
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/interview/octnov_2004.shtml
Myron Ebell, Bush's advisor on global warming was interviewed on the Radio 4 Today programme on 4 November 2004. He told presenter John Humphreys that global warming was a fallacy, inspired by European businesses and governments wanting to hinder the US economy. Listen to this interview on the BBC website.

Carbon-based life form
www.bestfootforward.com/carbonlife.htm
We are all carbon-based life forms in more ways than one, as our use of fossil fuels leads to the emission of carbon dioxide, a key contributor to global climate change. The Guardian and Best Foot Forward have put together an online calculator to estimate your individual contribution to climate change.

Climateprediction.net
http://climateprediction.net/index.php
Worldwide experiment to try and produce a forecast of the climate in the 21st century. This requires people around the world to give time on their computers – time when they have their computers switched on, but are not using them to their full capacity. Check it out.

Don't buy Esso
www.greenpeace.org.uk/climate/climatecriminals/esso/case.cfm
ExxonMobil (Esso) increased its emissions of greenhouse gases in 2003 and they continue to lobby Bush against signing up to the Kyoto Protocol.

Top of page

The environment
www.channel4.com/science/microsites/E/environment/index.html
Global warming – out of your control? No, it's not. Get back to basics and find out some of the simple things you can do to ensure a safe future for you and yours.

Feeding a world of 8 billion
www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=341§ion=3
A good explanation of why widespread use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides is threatening biodiversity. Also looks at the arguments for and against biotechnology.

Global Warming.org
www.globalwarming.org/
Articles and interviews with experts on global warming, plus up-to-date information on the Kyoto negotiations.

Global warming – back to the future?
www.channel4.com/science/microsites/S/ science/nature/globalwarming.html
A sobering article on the long-term effects of global warming on our planet.

Milankovich cycles in paleoclimate
http://deschutes.gso.uri.edu/~rutherfo/milankovitch.html
Milankovich cycles are cycles in Earth's orbit that influence the amount of solar radiation striking different parts of Earth at different times of year. They are named after a Serbian mathematician who explained how these orbital cycles cause the advance and retreat of the polar ice caps.

Nature
www.nature.com/index.html
Type 'global warming' and 'greenhouse gas' into the search box and find a wide range of articles on the subject, including those specifically addressing UK greenhouse gas emissions.

Nuclear power – cure for global warming?
www.channel4.com/science/microsites/S/science/society/nuclearpower.html
Greenhouse gases are on the rise. So are global temperatures and sea levels. Our use of fossil fuels is to blame. Could it be time to say 'Nuclear Power? Yes Please.'

People and Planet
www.peopleandplanet.net/
An excellent website with articles and images on a wide range of issues – deforestation, biodiversity, climate change, renewable energy, pollution and much more.

The politics of carbon www.channel4.com/science/microsites/S/science/nature/politics_of_carbon.html Scientists calculate that the only way to prevent devastating climate change is to reduce global carbon emissions by about 60% from today's levels by 2050. How will the international community tackle this? Can the politicians pull it off?

Recycling – where does it all go?
www.channel4.com/science/microsites/S/ science/nature/recycle.html
What happens to those cans, bottles and papers we place in the recycling box every week? Where do they go and what do they get turned into? At the end of the feature there's a list of websites and organisations with information on how to get recycling and do your bit.

Organisations

Centre for Alternative Technology
www.cat.org.uk
Environmental charity offering practical solutions to environmental problems. Key areas of work are renewable energy, environmental building, energy efficiency, organic growing and alternative sewage systems. Lots of tips and downloadable booklets with advice.

Friends of the Earth
www.foe.co.uk
Excellent site with tons of information on the dangers of global warming and pollution, corporate hazards, how to get green electricity and much more. There's even a section where advisors will respond to your e-mail if you have any questions.

Greenpeace
www.greenpeace.org
International campaigning organisation whose aim is to expose environmental criminals and to challenge governments and corporations when they fail to safeguard our environment.

Hadley Centre – Climate Models
www.metoffice.com/research/hadleycentre/models/modeltypes.html
The Hadley Centre, part of the UK's Met Office, carries out climate projections for many centuries into the future using complex, powerful computer models. Also provides up-to-date assessments of natural and man-induced changes to the global and regional climate.

Rainforest Concern
www.rainforestconcern.org
Protecting the world's tropical rainforests and the incredible biodiversity they contain. The site has lots of useful information on global warming and a good section for kids.

Worldwatch Institute
www.worldwatch.org/
Carries out work on the transition to an environmentally sustainable and socially just society. Site has a comprehensive Q&A section on global warming, publications and a research library.

Top of page

Books
 

American Heat: Ethical problems with the United States' response to global warming by Donald A Brown (Rowman and Littlefield, 2002)
An examination of the United States' responses to global warming negotiations, which concludes that most US positions are ethically bankrupt.
Get this book
 

Global Warming: The complete briefing by John Houghton (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
Sir John Houghton explores the scientific basis of global warming and the likely impacts of climate change on human society, before addressing the action that should be taken by governments, by industry and by individuals to mitigate the effects.
Get this book
 

Half Gone: Oil, gas, hot air and the global energy crisis by Jeremy Leggett (Portobello Books, 2005))
The author is a geologist who spent the 1980s in the service of Big Oil before jumping ship to become Chief Scientist at Greenpeace UK. Writing with watertight knowledge and sobering clarity, he explains how we became addicted to oil and how this habit is dragging us into an increasingly dangerous dependence upon the Middle East and toward economic and environmental catastrophe.
Get this book
 

High Tide: News from a warming world by Mark Lynas (Flamingo, 2004)
Climate change is no longer a concern for the future: it's happening right now. In this book, the author takes us around the world to show that the impacts of global warming are already having a tangible effect on people's lives. From houses being washed over by sand in China to the thawing of the Alaskan Arctic, the author witnesses some of the worst impacts of climate change first-hand.
Get this book
 

Strangely Like War: The global assault on forests by Derrick Jensen and George Draffan (Green Books, 2004)
Today, with three-quarters of the world's original forests gone and the pace of cutting, clearing, processing and pulping ever accelerating, the authors lay bare the stark scenario we face unless deforestation is slowed and stopped.
Get this book
 

Stormy Weather: 101 solutions to global climate change by Guy Dauncey (New Society Publishers, 2001)
Explains why our planet has reached this over-heated situation and how scientists predict 'run away' climate change will affect Earth and our lives. The author offers solutions to global warming which revolve around 12 core methods of reducing our use of fossil fuels and filling our energy needs with solar, wind, tidal and bio fuels.
Get this book
 

Sharing Nature's Interest: Measuring the ecological footprints of our activities by Nicky Chambers, Craig Simmons and Mathis Wackernage (Earthscan, 2000)
Ecological footprinting is rapidly being adopted as an effective and practical way to measure our impact on the environment in both large and small-scale planning and development. This is an introduction to ecological footprint analysis, showing how it can be done, and how to measure the 'footprints' of activities, lifestyles, organisations and regions.
Get this book
 

Doing our bit for the planet
 

Go M.A.D.! (Go Make A Difference 2): 500 daily ways to save the planet edited by Jo Bourne and Emma Jones (Think Publishing, 2003)
If you care about the environment and aren't sure how to make a difference, look no further. This guide includes 500 easy-to-do ideas to help you change your life and therefore help the planet. It covers information on how we can all get involved in pushing for change at the policy level.
Get this book
 

Green Living in the Urban Jungle by Lucy Siegle (Green Books, 2001)
Embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle can be a daunting prospect for the average urban dweller. This book explores everything from severing the cord to your local supermarket and looking at some other more exciting shopping options, to thinking creatively about recycling and transport and enjoying a green night out.
Get this book
 

You Can Change the World: An action handbook for the 21st century by Erwin Laszlo (Positive News, 2002)
With an introduction by Mikhail Gorbachev, this timely book addresses every one of us and helps us to understand the current situation of our planet, our shared situation, and find the path we must take.
Get this book