United Nations takes action
In 1988, the United Nations set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to analyse and report on scientific findings. The IPCC's first report found that the planet had warmed by 0.5 degrees Celsius in the past century. It warned that only strong measures to halt rising greenhouse gas emissions would prevent serious global warming.

Global targets for reducing emissions
In 1992, the Earth Summit took place in Rio de Janeiro. Here, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed by 154 nations. It agreed to prevent 'dangerous' warming from greenhouse gases and set voluntary targets for reducing emissions.

Kyoto: legally binding cuts in emissions
In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was agreed. Where the UNFCCC agreed voluntary targets, Kyoto was the first international treaty to set legally binding emissions cuts for industrialised nations. It was signed by 178 countries and came into force in 2005.

The UK's reaction to climate change
The UK signed both the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and is on track to surpass its Kyoto target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2006, the Stern report was published in the UK by HM Treasury. It was the first report of its kind into the economic impact of climate change, and found that the costs of inaction far outweighed the costs of action.

In 2007, the UK government published the draft Climate Change Bill. It aims to set legally binding targets for reducing emissions to at least 60 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050.

The latest on climate change

In 2007, the IPCC confirmed that there is a greater than 90 per cent chance that global warming over the last 50 years is due to human activity. It said that the planet had warmed 0.74 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the 20th century.