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Published: Thursday 31 March 2005

www.vitalgraphics.net

SANS all politics
This site is meant to educate the uninitiated about the basics of climate change. "Most people have heard about climate change, they might even express a real concern about it, but how many would actually consider it a threat?" it asks. The site informs what the ozone layer is, what exactly are greenhouse gases and what is the state of the scientific debate on climate change. All these are substantiated by graphs and illustrations. There is also an account of international treaties on climate change such as the Kyoto Protocol -- the website site also shows the state of progress of different countries in achieving their targets stipulated by this international treaty. The site also has links to reports of the Inter Parliamentary Committee Reports on Climate Change.

"If we follow the wait and see approach it may be more difficult to control the damage in the future," the site warns. But having said that, it does not take a political stand on the problem. In fact, there is a pronounced tilt towards the First World. For example, it states, "Between 2020 and 2030, total emissions from developing countries are expected to exceed the emissions from the developed world". Having said that, it does not distinguish between luxury emissions in the developed world and those caused as a necessity in the developing world.

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