Brown looking towards 'historic transformation' on climate

Pledges to cut emissions mark the "first steps towards a historic transformation" in the fight against global warming, says Gordon Brown.

As countries responsible for more than 80 per cent of the world’s emissions made their commitments to the Copenhagen Accord, the Prime Minister today labelled the step a “turning point” in leading to a peak in emissions by 2020 and the target of keeping temperature rises below 2C.

But he called for more action and said lessons must be learned from the “flawed” process at the Copenhagen conference on climate change in December.

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The two weeks of talks in the Danish capital descended into chaos with clashes between rich and poor countries.

The Copenhagen Accord, agreed on the last day, got developing countries to commit to action on their emissions, laid out finance to help developing countries, recognised temperature rises should not go above 2C and ensured nations would monitor action to curb greenhouse gases.

But the deal agreed by 49 countries had no timetable for securing an international treaty and there were no targets for global gas cuts. Countries were expected to submit pledges for reducing emissions by yesterday, although it is understood commitments will continue to be made over the coming days.

Mr Brown said if countries stuck to the commitments they made “the international community will have taken the first steps towards a historic transformation in the trajectory of global emissions.”