Blair wants action against global warming

Tony Blair commits Britain to reducing carbon dioxide emissions

Blair Presses Summit For Action on Global Warming

In striving for sustainable economies Mr Blair told world leaders gathered in New York for the Earth Summit that, "A new approach to transport may mean sometimes not travelling at all. Who knows whether a future Earth Summit might be done through tele and video conferencing with all of us staying at home?"

BBC correspondent Rob Broomby looks at the difficulites involved in cutting car use - Dur 3' 30"

At the start of his speech Mr Blair appealed to his audience not just as a world leader but also as a father saying, "This is my fifth international meeting in eight weeks in office. My three children in London complain I am never at home. But, if there is one summit they would want me at, it is this one."

"The know our decisions here will have a profound effect on the world they inherit."

Mr Blair's aides have been playing down suggestions that his new blue-print for a cleaner environment is a subtle prelude to the introduction of new environment taxes.

US Vice-President Al Gore

Gore looks to a sustainable future

The Prime Minister again highlighted Britain's commitment to do better than the EU target of cutting carbon dioxide emissions to 15% of 1990 levels by 2010 - with a fresh target of 20%.

This would be achieved by more efficient use of transport, improved energy conservation and greater use of renewable sources of energy. Mr Blair also laid down challenges for companies and for other nations. "All of us, but particularly the industrialised world, must recognise that we have the opportunity and responsibility to combine economic progress with environmental improvement. "

"The best, most successful companies worldwide realise that newer cleaner processes and more attractive greener products mean increased markets and more jobs. Yes, economic growth; but growth that is environmentally and socially responsible."

Environmentalist, Lester Brown, of the World Watch Institute examines the summit

Mr Blair did not name the US and Canada as the main miscreants - though his Foreign Secretary Robin Cook did at the weekend - but he warned "the great industrialised nations" that they must start to meet the targets they set themselves five years ago at Rio.

"To them I say this: our targets will not be taken seriously by the poorer countries until the richer countries are meeting them ... The biggest responsibility falls on those countries with the biggest emissions. We in Europe have put our cards on the table.

Mr Blair makes his speech

"It is time for the special pleading to stop and for others to follow suit. If we fail at Kyoto, we fail our children, because the consequences will be felt in their life-time."

The Prime Minister said he was worried at the fall in aid to developing nations. Britain was "committed to improving further the quality of our assistance, and working together with in real partnerships to achieve our target of halving the proportion of people living in absolute poverty by 2015."

Mr Blair has also committed Britain to raising by 50% bilateral support for health, education and water projects in Africa.

Charles Secrett of Friends of the Earth tells US to clean up its act act

The BBC's environment correspondent, Richard Wilson, reports from New York DUR: 3'49"

Earth Summit Fact File