Climate change is arguably the greatest challenge facing the world today. It is a global issue that demands a global response, and all countries need to be part of the solution. The UK is playing a leading role at an international level.
We are working through the European Union, the G8, the Major Economies Forum and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to find ways to reach global agreement on addressing this issue.
Our goal is to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas levels to avoid dangerous climate change, as well as to adapt to the climate change we are already experiencing. Along with the EU, we believe global warming must be limited to no more than 2°C above pre-industrial times to avoid dangerous impacts.
To achieve this goal, we need to secure a global commitment to a realistic, durable and fair plan for beyond 2012, when the first set of targets under the Kyoto Protocol expires. We are therefore aiming to reach an ambitious agreement at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties at Copenhagen in December 2009. We are supporting this with effective action in the UK under the Climate Change Act 2008 and in the EU (under the 2020 package).
Latest news
This sets out what the UK Government will be pushing for in the UN negotiations at Copenhagen, and how the UK public can contribute to the debate so their voices can be heard.
- Publication of the UK’s fifth national communication to the UNFCCC
This reports in detail the action the UK is taking to fulfil its commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol:
The evidence
Mitigating and adapting to climate change must be supported by sound scientific and economic evidence.
With regards to the science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and its 'Fourth assessment report' (AR4), makes it clear that urgent action is needed to tackle climate change, and provides a sound basis for developing the national and international response.
Despite the current economic difficulties, now is not the time to row back on our ambitions on tackling climate change. Becoming low-carbon is the only way we will achieve a sustainable and economically viable future.
In October 2006, Lord Stern presented a report to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the Economics of Climate Change which shows that taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is an economic imperative. We continue to use the report’s recommendations about international climate change when developing our policies.