Blair warns of climate change catastrophe

Tom Happold and agencies
Tuesday September 14, 2004

Tony Blair warned today that time was "running out" to avert the human and economic catastrophe of unchecked climate change.

Speaking at a round-table discussion about the environment, ahead of a speech on the subject this evening, the prime minister described global warming as a "huge issue" which needed renewed political will if it was to be tackled.

Mr Blair is tonight expected to call for a "green industrial revolution" and promise to use Britain's presidency of the G8 group of leading industrial nations next year to push for greater international cooperation to tackle climate change.

But Mr Blair will not confirm whether the UK government will expand the use of nuclear power, which many scientists believe is essential to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Questioned about the issue on BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat programme, he said: "I think there are still major problems [with nuclear power] ... we have to handle the issues to do with storage and waste."

"We're not shutting the door on anything but you have to take account of those realities," he added. "And in the meantime there are other technologies that we could be using that would make a significant difference to climate change."

Mr Blair's speech comes after he was criticised yesterday by the Conservative leader, Michael Howard, for his failure to persuade the US to sign up to the Kyoto protocol, which was designed to reduce greenhouse gases emissions.

Mr Howard also side-stepped the nuclear issue yesterday; excluding it from his speech, and replying when challenged about it afterwards that it was a matter for a Conservative government to decide once in office.