However, the solution offered by politicians gathering in Bangkok this week will not be so certain. And don't expect an answer on who should be doing what and when to reverse the rising mercury.

Although the draft report put together by scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - entitled "Mitigation of Climate Change" - lays out broad measures, some of which are controversial, to lessen the rising levels of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases, it does not point to anyone to take the lead.

Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, said after the opening session of the Bangkok meeting yesterday that he expected heated debate during the five-day summit of scientists and policy-makers. But when asked what he though would come out of the meeting he replied, "I don't know."

"Science certainly provides a lot of compelling reasons for action, but what actual actions [take place] is for governments to decide," Pachauri said. "[Given] the nature of the subject, there will be a lot of debate. I'm sure we will have results without major disruption of the procedure. Hopefully, we will reach the outcome within the time allocated to us."

The United States and China, the two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide, have reportedly maintained their usual stance against remedial action. Arguing that action to reduce greenhouse gases will be more costly and time consuming than scientists claim, the two countries submitted their comments ahead of this week's meeting to downplay the potential benefits of reducing emissions.

Two previous IPCC reports this year painted a dire picture of a future in which unabated greenhouse gas emissions could drive global temperatures up as much as 6 degrees Celsius (11 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100. Even a 2-degree rise could subject up to 2 billion people to water shortages by 2050 and threaten extinction for 20 to 30 per cent of the world's species, the IPCC said.

The third report stresses that the world must quickly embrace a basket of technological options - already available and being developed - just to keep the temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius.

However, a representative of the Thai government, Chatree Chuayprasit, deputy permanent secretary of the Environmental and Natural Resources Ministry, saw the summit as a "battle field" between developed and developing nations. The draft report, written mainly by scientists from industrialised countries, stressed that developing economies were also major emitters of greenhouse gases, Chatree noted.

"I'm surprised that [those scientists] are getting on the case of small issues such as methane from rice fields and CO2 from cooking stoves," Chatree said.

"They even try to come up with figures of rice field emissions to support the claim that although methane released from the field per capita is low, the plantations cover large areas. I think they raised the issue just for the sake of making arguments that we in developing countries too are emitters."

Sitanon Jetsadapipat, a member of Thailand's sub-committee on climate change, described the IPCC draft report as something developed nations were imposing on poor countries.

"The report drafters only say how developing counties have opportunities to reduce greenhouse gases emission without committing to what their own countries would do," Sitanon said.

Nantiya Tangwisutijit,

Pennapa Hongthong

The Nation