Gorbachev: Climate change is ‘everywhere’

Former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev has warned that the world is “very close to the red line” in the fight against climate change.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, he said the impact of global warming was so advanced that it was “everywhere we look”.

“This includes the forests and oceans and in the general atmosphere,” he said. “It is something which should be the cause for real concern.”

Gorbachev was in parliament to participate in the ‘Energy Globe World Awards’, presented each year to projects deemed to have made a significant contribution to tackling climate change.

Gorbachev, who spent six years as Russian president, told a news conference that such was the scale of the problem it was beyond any single country to tackle alone.

“When it comes to tackling climate change, we are very close to the red line. Indeed, some would say that we have already crossed the red line. That is why we all have to pull together now before it is too late,” he said.

He also believes that conventional sources of energy such as oil and gas still have an invaluable role to play in meeting the world’s future energy needs.

“For a while it seemed as though biofuels might be the solution. But I think we should give very careful consideration to alternative sources of energy such as biofuels and solar energy.

“It is also too early to say ‘farewell’ to traditional energy sources such as oil and gas. Rather than doing that, the key, I believe, is to find ways of using energy more efficiently.”

Gorbachev, whose efforts to end the Cold War earned him the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize, also warned that any future global energy crisis could cause the fast-emerging economies in India and China to take a “serious stumble.”

His comments were echoed by parliament’s president Hans-Gert Pöttering, who said nuclear was also an important part of the “energy mix.”

He added, “Parliament has made tackling climate change one of its highest priorities and we are currently working on an ambitious package of measures which seek to cut CO2 emissions while increasing renewable energy use.”

This year’s awards have attracted over 850 entries, including a solar house park, a new way to recycle used carpets and a solar power plant.

The best projects will be highlighted at a gala event attended by Gorbachev and other VIPs, including commission president Jose Manuel Barroso in parliament on Monday evening.

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