Devastating global warming can be avoided without excessive economic cost but the world must begin acting immediately, a major UN conference on climate change concluded early today.The report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world's most authoritative organisation looking at the issue, was hailed by environmentalists as a "road map" for avoiding disaster.
The technology already exists for countries to tackle the issue through the greater use of biofuels and renewable energy sources, and improving overall energy efficiency, the week-long gathering in Bangkok concluded. But only immediate action can cap the average global temperature increase at around 2C, they said.
There was some opposition from China - the country about to become the world's single biggest producer of greenhouse gases - which argued that moves to cut emissions should be delayed so as to avoid harming its economic development. However, a draft version of the final report contained references to stringent emissions targets, to which the Chinese delegates had objected earlier in the week.
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