Growth, sustainable development and climate change : friends or foes?

Abstract

Global climate change due to rising levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere is one of the most serious environmental challenges of the present time. While significant uncertainties remain, there is increasing consensus on the scope and drivers that shape global climate change. In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that climate change is not only accelerating but has been induced by human activity, particularly by the combustion of fossil fuels for energy.