It’s very clear that rapidly developing Chinese industry will have an affect on climate change. They are continuing to use coal as their main source of electrical energy because it’s still cheaper. As a result, as the region develops and they require more and more energy, they are increasingly sending out large quantities of CO2 into the air and contributing to what will soon be a catastrophe.

Having refused to sign the international objectives set out in the Kyoto agreement to reduce CO2 and other gases by 5% before 2012, the Bush administration, unlike the European Union which has taken measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% by 2020, has simply requested industry to make an effort and concentrate research on renewable energies. Today, Monday 24 September, 2007, the UN is bringing together 150 heads of state in New York to engage politically in working together in finding an international solution. George Bush will not be attending, although Arnold Schwarzenegger and Al Gore will.

Here's more on Yvo de Boer, of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the GIEC (Intergovernmental panel on climate change). 

As individuals, what can we do to encourage our governments to work together and introduce measures?