The most dangerous impacts of climate change can only be avoided through coordinated international action. The political conditions do not yet exist to drive this transition, despite the urgency of the problem: According to the figures by the International Energy Agency, even if countries implement the most ambitious policies currently under consideration, the outcome would be beyond the manageable threshold. The UK's view is that the solution rests in the success of the multilateral climate negotiations of the United Nations and whether the countries of the world undertake ambitious in greenhouse gas emission reduction.

There is plenty of evidence, both scientific and economic saying that the costs of early action is significantly less than the costs of inaction. Furthermore, the Stern Review states that the business opportunities emerging in relation to climate change will be huge and climate-conscious operation makes business sense and the only way to secure growth in the future.

When the UK is urging for more effective and ambitious international action, it is also because it does not define it narrowly as an environmental problem. For example security aspects of climate change are often not recognised. The UK is setting an example by its own domestic actions to induce more ambitious action internationally. The UK has established exceptionally high emission reduction targets at home and was the first country to create a Climate Change Bill and provided the means to achieve its objectives. For example, the UK has just launched a competition for a commercially viable Carbon Capture and Storage demonstration site to be installed with a coal based power plant. The European Union has agreed a target of 12 such demonstration sites by 2012. At present only the UK and Norway has announced specific action.