It says nuclear power cannot be part of the answer until the problem of nuclear waste is solved to the satisfaction of scientists and ordinary people. It wants industry, motorists and domestic users to make much more efficient use of energy, and says there is potential for sequestering CO2 - piping it into undersea reservoirs for permanent storage. All involve a reversal of the present trend, and three mean radical reductions in energy use. Some of the scenarios might involve significant changes in lifestyles. The challenge climate change poses for the world is so fundamental, however, that a complete transformation in the UK's use of energy will be an essential part of an effective global response.
Some researchers still doubt that human activities are inducing rapid climate change.
They highlight the inconsistencies between the temperature records taken at the Earth's surface, which show rapid warming over the last two decades, and the data produced by satellite and balloon studies. Climate models generally predict that temperatures should increase in the upper air as well as at the surface if increased concentrations of greenhouse gases are causing the warming seen at the surface.