Top UK scientist lauds Union climate change policy in Lords

By Karen Carstens

Date: 11/03/04

TONY Blair's top scientific advisor, who stirred controversy with explosive claims that climate change is a bigger threat than terrorism, said yesterday (10 March) that the EU was on the right track with its emissions trading regime to prevent a global meltdown.

Sir David King, a Cambridge University chemist, told a House of Lords committee preparing a report on EU climate change policy that a lot could still be done to tackle global warming - from the widespread use of hydrogen fuel to nuclear fusion.

King appeared before the Lords amid allegations that he had been "muzzled" by the UK premier vis-à-vis the press, following his strong comments on global climate change risks (see Page 19).

The Lords were pleasantly surprised by King's upbeat account of all that can still be done to stave off a global meltdown.

"Against the backdrop of some pretty horrifying statistics that literally millions of people will die in places like India and the Philippines by the end of this century [if nothing is done], for instance, he was really quite optimistic," said Lord Renton of Mount Harry.

"We are encouraged that a really top scientist could be so optimistic - and that the EU was a very important player in all this.

"The main aim now must be to make certain that governments do this and that the political will is there," he added.

"The steps that the EU has taken to date have been good ones."

However, Lord Renton cautioned, "of course there are still some lingering insecurities, given that we will have a whole new Commission and new MEPs coming in this year".

One area where the EU could improve, Lord Renton suggested, was in giving the "ordinary individual" the opportunity to get more involved in combating climate change. "This is an area where the EU has done very little," he said. "We feel that more could be done in this regard."

The committee plans to conclude its inquiry and present its findings by July at the latest.

The premise of the inquiry, which is also taking evidence from a wide range of other experts, is that climate change is occurring and it is largely caused by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gasses.

Report of evidence given by UK scientific adviser Sir David King to a House of Lords Select Committee enquiry into EU climate change policy, March 2004.

• Primary Source