The physics of climate

Sandwiched between the rising tide of public interest in El Nino and the international negotiations on climate change at Kyoto, it is difficult to imagine a more topical conference than that held by the Royal Meteorological Society and the Institute of Physics at the Royal Society on 29-30 October 1997. Entitled ``The Physics of Climate'', it featured many of the leading figures in the world of climatic studies, who confronted the issues with refreshing candor. This short summary of the conference gives synopses of the various talks which highlight the salient points.