Politics, business must go green or die - Miliband
06 Feb 2007 20:25:24 GMT Source: Reuters
By Jeremy Lovell LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Politicians and business must join the battle against global warming or face the backlash of lost votes and silent tills, British Environment Secretary David Miliband said on Tuesday. His warning came days after top scientists said gases from burning fossil fuels would probably push global average temperatures up by three degrees Celsius this century causing floods, famines and fighting, putting millions of lives at risk. "Political parties won't be electable, and companies will not be profitable -- or at least will be less profitable -- without credibility on environmental issues," he told a business conference. "In the long term, the risks are still worse." "Global warming means that all economies must be transition economies -- from high-carbon to low-carbon development," Miliband said, noting countries like China and India whose booming economies are pumping out rising levels of carbon gases. Miliband said environmental issues had now moved firmly to the centre of the political and commercial stage. The government announced last week that it would send to all schools a copy of former U.S. vice president Al Gore's film on global warming "An Inconvenient Truth" to drive home the scale of the climate crisis. "The question is not whether our economy can afford to have ethical concerns at its heart," Miliband said on Tuesday. "It is whether it can afford not to." His words fell on receptive ears. "David Miliband's analysis is spot on. Many responsible businesses would agree they are an integral part of the solution and many have already drawn up plans to reduce their carbon footprint, as well as offer customers more sustainable choices," said CBI chief Richard Lambert. Last month the CBI, the umbrella organisation of British employers, set up a climate change task force with business leaders from across the board from transport to telecoms to draw up recommendations for action later this year.
