PM raises climate change stakes
Gordon Brown dubs climate change "the great project of this generation"
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Monday, 19, Nov 2007 06:23
Gordon Brown has used his first major speech on the environment to dub the world's climate change crisis as "the great project of this generation".
In his address in central London this afternoon he reiterated the government's commitment to renewable energy sources and the creation of a global low carbon economy.
The prime minister compared the current situation to the Marshall Plan in post-world war two Europe and said developed nations had to do more to help poorer countries cut down on coal consumption and rates of deforestation.
"Only by rising to the challenges of climate change can we guarantee our stability and prosperity now and into the future," Mr Brown said.
He said it would be a "great injustice" if developing nations bore the brunt of a predicted 4C global temperature rise.
Mr Brown pointed to the City of London-centred global carbon market and Europe's leadership on low carbon economies as evidence of Britain's commitment to the cause.
He told attendees that if the world was to "stand a chance" in the fight against climate change, developed nations would have to reach the top-end of targets to reduce emissions by between 60 and 80 per cent by 2050.
The prime minister's speech comes two days after the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which won this year's Nobel prize, warned of the "abrupt and irreversible" impact that changes to global weather patterns were likely to have.
The report - which foresees the extinction of species, flooding of low-lying areas and disruptions in food production - comes ahead of December's meeting in Bali, where global leaders are expected to discuss reductions in carbon emissions.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon backed the panel's findings, saying there was still time to deal with the process that will result in rising sea levels due to carbon emissions raising temperatures across the world and hastening the melting of glaciers.
Mr Brown also announced today that all government policies would in the future be considered for their impact upon the environment.