Darling pushes for G20 climate deal

7 November 2009 12:06pm

Chancellor Alistair Darling has urged the world's most powerful finance ministers to treat climate change with the same urgency they gave to the world economic turmoil.

He issued his plea at the start of a meeting of G20 finance ministers gathered in St Andrews, Fife.

The Chancellor also urged them not to hold back on efforts to put economies back on a growth track.

As he delivered his climate change warning, protesters gathered in St Andrews.

Mr Darling told his fellow finance ministers the first session of their gathering would be devoted to climate change.

"This is an urgent problem," he told them.

"Just as it took a crisis to get countries to come together 12 months ago, I hope that now we can show the same degree of commitment and urgency to try to deal with this problem.

"I'm perfectly well aware that round this table there are different views - there are arguments we need to have, discussions that need to take place, and some tough negotiating.

"But it really is imperative that when we reach the end of the day, that we have shown that we have made some real progress in dealing with what is a real and urgent problem."

Mr Darling said every effort would be made to reach agreement in advance of the Copenhagen climate summit in December.

© The Press Association