Speaking at the Labour Party conference, Margaret Beckett reinforced the urgency of putting climate change at the centre of Government policy.
Echoing the sentiment of her recent address at the United Nations, the Foreign Secretary told party members today (27th September) that the threat of climate change is “the greatest new challenge to global security.”
“Over the next 10 years our world may change out of all recognition… our changing climate itself changing patterns of rainfall, food production and land use across the globe, generating old stresses in new places - and with them new causes for conflict and insecurity,” said Mrs Beckett.
“It won’t cost the earth to tackle climate change but it will cost the earth, literally as well as financially, if we don’t,” she concluded.
Following recent highly publicised advances into green politics for both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, the Government has been forced to up the ante on climate change.
Last week the creation of an Office of Climate Change was announced and later this week the Treasury is to publish a report on the economics of climate change, written by economist Nick Stern, which it is believed will be geared towards engaging the thus far reluctant Bush administration to sign up to an ambitious new international treaty.