| Anticipated global warming as a result of the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere was the most important subject discussed during the fifteenth session of the Governing Council of UNEP and at the Second World Climate Conference. The so-called greenhouse effect is a most pressing environmental problem to the extent that it involves many scientific disciplines and hence presents major challenges. The greenhouse gases (CO2,' CFCs, CH4, N2O, O3, etc.) have the effect of changing the atmosphere's radiative balance by trapping more heat near the earth's surface resulting in a rise in global mean surface temperature. It is now clear that if the burning of fossil fuel continues at the present rate, global warming is a virtual certainty. |
