Lord Stern warns of climate crossroads

The leading British economist and academic, Lord Stern, has warned that effective global action after the United Nations climate negotiations in Paris in December will be vital in limiting greenhouse gas emissions and preventing catastrophic impacts of climate change.

Professor Nicholas Stern, the lead author of the 2006 Stern Review on the economics of climate change, said: “Whatever way we look at it, the action we need to take is immense.”

The UN Climate Change Conference takes place in the French capital from 30 November to 11 December and a global climate deal is due to be signed by the 193 UN member states.

The deal is designed to limit GHG emissions and prevent a global average temperature increase of 2°C above pre-industrial times.

Lord Stern warned that if governments delay taking decisive measures on emissions reduction, a tipping point on climate change will be reached.

Addressing an audience at Oxford University Lord Stern said: “In Paris, we need recognition of what we need to do − and how radical that change will be.”

Stern is chair of the UK’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and a former chief economist at the World Bank and he will be involved in the COP21 Paris negotiations.

Stern’s comments coincided with a state visit to the UK by China’s President Xi Jinping, and Chinese officials have committed to reaching peak emissions by 2025 and then start declining.

Stern said: “I’m very optimistic about what we can do… That’s not the same as saying I’m optimistic about what we will do… The cost of inaction is far more than the cost of action.”