Climate Change Conference The impact of climate change is already being felt by millions of people across the world including here in Britain. Over the recent Bank Holiday weekend, I attended the World Business Summit on Climate change, to engage with key figures in the private sector and with other Government representatives, on preparations for the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December this year.

At this conference in December negotiations to agree a deal on bringing greenhouse gas emissions down will take place. The UK Government wants an ambitious and comprehensive global agreement which would help to keep the planet from warming by more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

If we’re going to achieve the change we need, then we are going to have to find new low carbon ways of working, including stepping up our use of renewable energy and other low carbon goods and services.

The summit was an opportunity to discuss progress with business leaders and key figures in the international negotiations including the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

In March, the UK Government set out our vision for a low carbon future, identifying key areas for action. In the summer, we will publish a Low Carbon Industrial Strategy that will set out the specific opportunities for business in the transition to a low carbon economy.

In this year’s Budget, over £400 million was set aside to encourage the expansion of offshore wind and other key low carbon technologies, while further work is underway to ensure the UK will be a leading global location to develop, demonstrate and manufacture low carbon vehicles.

There is of course still more we need to do.