This Briefing explains the origins of the climate crisis and describes some of the dangerous trends created by global warming. The global policy framework of 'Contraction & Convergence' (C&C) described was created and introduced to the United Nations in the 1990s by the Global Commons Institute (GCI) to avert these trends. Based on the thesis of 'Equity & Survival', C&C seeks to ensure future prosperity and choice by applying the global rationale of precaution, equity and efficiency in that order. C&C has become the most widely cited and arguably the most widely supported framework proposal in the global debate on what to do about climate change.