Committee on Climate Change

At the heart of the CCC’s advice is the use of robust and up-to-date scientific evidence.

The Committee includes eminent scientists such as Lord Robert May, Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, Professor Martin Parry, Professor Tim Palmer and Lord John Krebs.

The CCC also works closely with many of the UK’s leading research centres, including the Met Office, Hadley Centre and Walker Institute.

The evidence for human-induced climate change is clear, supported by a vast body of theory and observation developed over many years. As with any area of scientific research, there are still some gaps and uncertainties, but there is a strong case for action based  on a large body of evidence which shows that:

• CO₂ and other gases in the atmosphere trap heat, giving rise to a natural greenhouse effect.
• Changes in climate throughout Earth’s history have often been closely linked with changes in the abundance of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
• Greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations are now increasing due to emissions from human activity.
• Global climate change is already happening.
• Without efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there is a high risk of much greater change, with significant consequences for human welfare and ecological systems over the course of this century and beyond.

Here we set out the some of the science which underpins our advice on carbon budgets. But this is not a comprehensive review - more detailed introductions are available from specialist science groups such as the Royal Society, the Geological Society, the Government Office of Science, the American Institute of Physics  and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 

In this section, you can find information on:

• The factors that determine the Earth’s climate. 
• Variations in the earth’s climate.
• The link between human activity and climate change. 
• Global warming – the evidence that the world is warming.
• The risks associated with climate change, globally and in the UK.
• Climate targets designed to limit the risks of climate change and global emissions pathways aimed at stabilising global average temperature increases.
• Latest work from the CCC and others on climate science.