CARLO CARRARO* AND DOMENICO SINISCALCO** * University ofUdine, Greta
and Fondazione Mattei; ** University of Turin and Fondazione Mattei 1.
THE GLOBAL WARMING DEBATE The 1980s have seen an unprecedented growth in
awareness ofthe problem of (man-induced) climate change. Scientific
studies to assess the extent to which emissions resulting from human
activities are increasing the atmos pheric concentration ofgreenhouse
gases (GHGs: carbon dioxide, methane, man-made chloro-fluorocarbons,
nitrous oxide), thus contributing to raise the global mean temperature,
have been carried out since the beginning of the decade. In 1990, a
comprehensive report assessing the nature and the effects of global
wanning was presented by the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC), jointly established by the World Meteorological Organisa tion
and the United Nations Environmental Programme. According to the Report,
emissions resulting from human activities are substantially increas ing
the atmospheric concentration of GHGs. This is true, in particular, for
carbon dioxide emissions, which result mainly from the burning of fossil
fuels. The IPCC estimates that, in the last thirty years, the increase
in the at mospheric concentration of C02 has been substantially higher
than in the last two centuries and the actual level is the highest among
those registered in 160,000 years. The increasing atmospheric
concentration of GHGs will enhance the greenhouse effect, resulting on
average in an additional wann ing of the earth's surface. The main
greenhouse gas, water vapour, will in crease in response to global
wanning, and will further enhance it."