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New report from Tony Blair sets out practical technology solutions to tackle climate change

Tony Blair today published 'Technology for a Low Carbon Future' which sets out practical solutions to tackle climate change through technology.

The report comes just days before President Obama chairs a meeting of the major economies to discuss progress towards a new global climate agreement at Copenhagen later this year.

The report finds that 70% of the reductions needed by 2020 can be achieved by investing in energy efficiency - lighting, vehicles, buildings and motors - and reducing deforestation.

The report concludes that the strategy that should be adopted at the MEF and into Copenhagen should be to focus on existing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, along with efforts to halt deforestation, which can deliver major short-term cuts in emissions, while we invest in next generation technologies - carbon capture and storage, new approaches to nuclear and solar, and emerging biotech based solutions - that will drive down emissions through to the middle of the century.

The main report findings are:

• Major emission reductions are achievable by 2020 if we focus action on certain key solutions now;

• Fully 70% of the reductions needed by 2020 can be achieved by investing in energy efficiency - lighting, vehicles, buildings and motors - and reducing deforestation, the costs of which are manageable and generate positive returns;

• Just seven known policies that are already being successfully implemented in different parts of the world can deliver these reductions: they just need scaling up;

• We need to invest now in the development of those future technologies that will take time to mature, in particular carbon capture and storage (CCS), large scale solar and new generation nuclear, along with public infrastructure such as smart grids;

• International cooperation spurred by an ambitious agreement in Copenhagen can rapidly bring costs down and accelerate scale up of both current and future technologies.

Launching the report Tony Blair said: "This report shows how major reductions even by 2020 are achievable if we focus action on certain key technologies, deploy policies that have been proven to work, and invest now for the development of those future technologies that will take time to mature.

"And these technologies bring economic and social opportunities too. Just as investing in electrification, railways and the internet led to economic growth in the past, investing in clean energy can help reignite the global economy now.

"This report shows that the challenge of combating climate change remains formidable; but it is do-able. This is not mission impossible.

"On the contrary, with the necessary decisions now, there is a credible, practical, realistic as well as radical way to act. We can set the world on a new path to a low carbon future; the Major Economies Forum is able to put in place a framework for a successful global accord in Copenhagen in December."

Having been the first major head of government to bring climate change to the top of the international political agenda at the Gleneagles G8 summit in 2005, Tony Blair is now leading the 'Breaking the Climate Deadlock' initiative, a strategic partnership with The Climate Group, through which he is working with world leaders to bring consensus on a new and comprehensive international climate policy framework.

The Climate Group is an independent NGO working internationally with business and government leaders to advance practical policies and technologies necessary to cut global emissions and drive a prosperous low carbon economy.

You can download the full report here.