17 November 2007
Gordon Brown has called upon the developed nations of the world to take responsibility for the issue of climate change following the publication of a stark UN report.
Speaking to journalists in Downing Street, the PM called the findings a "wake-up call for the world" and said he wanted to see more low carbon homes and businesses helping the UK play its part. The challenge of climate change presented a "huge opportunity" for Britain to "lead the world" in environmentally friendly industries, he said.
In a Downing Street statement, the PM said that climate change posed an "urgent challenge" to mitigate threats not only to the environment but also to "peace and security, prosperity and development".
The PM said:
"The IPCC’s measured assessment shows that the world needs to face up to the challenge of climate change, and to do so now…the economic effects of climate change on this scale cannot be ignored, but the costs can be limited if we act early."
The UN-led Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Synthesis Report earlier today with clear warnings of an abrupt change in global climate conditions as a result of human activity. The report predicts the loss of Arctic summer ice, an increase in heatwaves and other extreme weather events, and a rise in sea levels of 59cm even before melting ice is taken into account.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said it was vital for all countries to "work together" to tackle the "defining challenge of our age".
Government representatives from around the world will meet in Bali next month to try and thrash out a successor agreement to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which required 36 industrial countries to reduce carbon emissions by an average five pecent by 2012. In today’s statement, Mr Brown said the UK approach would focus on securing a deal that was adequate, fair, comprehensive and effective.
The Government released its Climate Change Bill on 15 November with a number of legally binding targets, including a reduction in carbon emissions of at least 60 percent by 2050 against 1990 levels.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn will take part in a live Downing Street webchat on climate change and other issues on 19 November at 17:00 GMT.
Image copyright: Reuters
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