Global Warming - Serious Consequences for Failure, Warns Blair

Failure to deal with global warming could lead to serious and devastating consequences, former British Prime Minister warned world leaders. According to the BBC, he said it had always been a struggle to explain the uncertainties in climate science and urged the world leaders to deal with the problem before any chaotic situation occurs.

"It's very hard to say this is the precise warming there's going to be, this is the maximum amount you can allow this (emissions) to continue," he said.

"The risks of not cutting emissions, given the potentially massive consequences, was enough to justify action," he added.

Blair used the UK's G8 presidency in 2005 to push the issue of climate change.

During his tenure as the Prime Minister, he reportedly took advice from the government chief scientist at the time, Professor David King and the President of the Royal Society, who insisted that this is a serious problem that needs global action to be dealt with.

Earlier, leaders of the G8 had agreed goals for global greenhouse gas emission reductions and witnessed the essential role to be played by nuclear energy.

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They agreed to a goal of achieving at least a 50 percent reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with developed countries achieving an 80 percent reduction in emissions by the same date.

However, countries like Russia refused to back a target of an 80 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

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Developing countries like India and China also refused to agree to a 50 percent reduction by 2050 under the post-Kyoto Protocol and asked for active financial and technological support from developed countries to tackle with the problem.

Source-ANI