Editorial
Professor Bert Bolin has been Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the past nine years. During his career, he has been a leading figure in climate change research and has been an influential participant in international discussions aimed at dealing with this complex issue. In view of his imminent retirement as IPCC Chair and the forthcoming Conference of the Parties in December, we considered this an appropriate time to speak with him about his past experiences and his thoughts on global climate change and its implications for the future.
Susan Subak, Mike Hulme and Louise Bohn then assess the climate implications of proposed emissions reduction schedules, showing that further reductions will probably be needed during the first half of the 21st century.
Guoyu Ren presents a summary of research activities on climate change and its impacts in China. Given the rapid development of China and its potential as a key player in international agreements relating to climate change, it is appropriate that the Chinese "government will take protection of global climate and environment as one of the key tasks for realizing sustainable development in coming decades."
For 45 years, Resources for the Future has promoted objective discussion through its research projects on environmental policy. Michael Tebo summarizes the institute's new program intended to increase understanding of the issue of global climate change.
The importance of including education on climate change in any school curriculum cannot be over-stated. Emilio Anteliz, Patrick Danaher and Michael Danaher argue that effective education about global climate change must be located in the context of a country's educational and socio-political system. They illustrate this argument by contrasting the educational and cultural differences between Venezuela and Australia.