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| Blair warns of global warming 'disaster' By Elsa McLaren The consequences for the world if global warming continues unchecked will be "disastrous", Tony Blair warned today. The Prime Minister called on world leaders to act together to tackle global warming at the launch of a report by Sir Nicholas Stern, the former World Bank chief economist, that forecasts floods, famine, mass movement of people and the destruction of species if the Earth’s temperature continues to rise. The report, commissioned by Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, is the most comprehensive study of the economics of climate change yet. It concludes that the cost of acting now to cut carbon emissions is 1 per cent of global GDP a year but doing nothing would see that rise to a minimum of 5 per cent and as high as 20 per cent of GDP. Speaking at the launch of the report, Mr Blair said: "This is the most important report on the future, published by this Government in its time in office. What is not in doubt is that the scientific evidence of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions is now overwhelming. "It is not in doubt that if the science is right, the consequences for our planet are literally disastrous. We have to act together. This is an international challenge and one only an international solution will overcome." Sir Nicholas, speaking before the launch of the report, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The risks are very big and unless we act soon to reduce those risks, they will become very difficult to deal with. "If we go along with business as usual, emitting as we’ve been emitting, and growing as we’ve been growing in the way we’ve been growing, what would happen [is] that the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would accumulate and accumulate, and a hundred years or so from now we would be likely to be 5C or more above where we are now. And that would be a transformation." He said that disasters like Hurricane Katrina would be "intensified many times". "If we act internationally we can continue to grow, but if you leave it, if you do not act, then, of course, eventually the kind of changes that could and would happen would be very bad," he said. Sir Nicholas said that rich countries should pay more than poor ones to offset their higher levels of carbon emissions. "The poor countries will be hit earliest and hardest. It is only right that the rich countries should pay a little more," he said. He added: "It can be done by tax or carbon reduction or by altering the standards we require in cars or businesses. Ultimately whichever is the route it's consumers and households that will pay." |