Vital Climate Change Graphics: A Spanner in the Climate Wheel

This report presents a visual and accessible synthesis of scientific knowledge on climate change, based primarily on the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It explains the fundamentals of the climate system, including the greenhouse effect, radiative forcing and the carbon cycle, and outlines observed trends in temperature, sea level and extreme weather events. The report reviews emission scenarios, projected impacts and regional vulnerabilities, with particular attention to Africa. It also examines greenhouse gas emissions, international policy responses such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and assesses the economic implications of mitigation and stabilisation pathways.