December 2000 Release number 448 Scientists from most parts of the world agree that global warming is already with us.
Debate rages on, however, as to whether the warming is man-made or natural.
New research conducted by scientists at the Met Office and the UK Universities Global Atmospheric Modelling Programme shows that both are contributory factors. Until now, climate simulations had difficulty explaining the rapid increase in global temperatures between 1910 and 1940. Earlier simulations ignored natural factors such as the sun's influence and volcanic eruptions. For the first time, this new research combines the most important human and natural factors in one climate model. The result, reported in this week's Science, accurately mirrors the decadal changes in global temperatures over the last 100 years.