Introduction

We are now living in what has been described as the anthropocene era. It is an argument that the impact of human behaviour on the planet over a consolidated period of time has been so significant as to constitute a new geological epoch.

This is no more evident than in the challenge of climate change. There is now an overwhelming consensus in the scientific community that climate change is happening and that it is the result of human activity in the shape of the extensive use of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas, which we have been devouring since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. To put it simply, we have taken carbon that has been stored under the earth for thousands of years, burnt it and, in the process, released large amounts of carbon dioxide gas into the earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide acts as a ‘greenhouse’ gas, trapping additional heat from the sun in the earth's atmosphere. As a consequence, the temperature in the earth's atmosphere is rising steadily but inexorably, with untold consequences for both people and the planet. In addition, we have cut down vast acres of the world's forests (which could have acted as a carbon sink by absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere) in a relentless pursuit of economic growth. We simply cannot go on like this. There is no option but to meet the challenge of climate change as part of a broader agenda to develop a more sustainable way of living.

The warning signs are there for all to see. Rising sea levels, the undermining of our ecosystems, biodiversity under threat, desertification and the depletion of water resources present us with a number of significant environmental and public policy challenges. Globally, each year we are using 50% more of the earth's resources than the planet can replenish (WWF, 2012, p 16). Planet earth is being degraded in front of our very eyes. The human impact of all of this becomes clearer each day, with threats to human health, livelihoods and food security that bring in their wake the potential for political, social and economic insecurity and instability.