‘Fifty months’ to avoid disaster on climate

The heads of organisations from Greenpeace to the Women’s Institute, business leaders and experts called on politicians to grab the opportunity to deal with climate change, which they said was one of the greatest threats to human progress.

They warned that despite record ice-loss in the Arctic, and drought and soaring temperatures in the US, the issue had slipped down the political agenda, but tackling it could be a huge economic opportunity.

In a letter to the Guardian, they said on current trends there were just 50 months before the world crossed a critical threshold, beyond which it would be unlikely to limit temperature rises to no more than 2C.

The 2C mark has been set by the UK and the European Union among others as a line the world should not cross if it was to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Signatories to the letter include Barbara Stocking, chief executive of Oxfam, Designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, Bianca Jagger, Green MP Caroline Lucas and Ed Mayo, chief executive of Co-operatives UK.

They wrote: “There is so much to gain from investing with speed and scale in a modern, low-carbon economy, that the failure to do so appears both reckless and short-sighted. Some recent policies seem even to take us backwards.

“More the same, old, economics will not work. To create jobs, more secure energy systems and less pollution, investing in a massive energy efficiency drive, and a programme to expand renewable energy are just two of the more obvious steps that could benefit the economy and the environment.”

The individuals and groups are all outlining things they will do differently over the next 50 months to ensure the world does not cross a threshold that makes it unlikely to avoid dangerous climate change.

These include efforts by Ruth Bond, chairwoman of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, to give every child practical skills such as cooking, to tackle obesity and instil the value of food, and growing food, which gives them an appreciation of the natural environment.

Greenpeace executive director John Sauven committed to more direct action to protect the Arctic from oil drilling.