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Tony Blair to debate politics of a low carbon future at Policy Network's climate change conference

Tony Blair will join an impressive range of international speakers to discuss the politics of climate change in London this Friday as part of his work to build a consensus on a new and comprehensive international policy framework.

The conference, which has been organised by Policy Network in association with the LSE's Centre for the Study of Global Governance, will discuss how the present economic crisis can lead to a business revolution in low-carbon industries and how the state can best play an active, incentivizing and facilitating role in this process.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Tony Blair said: "There is no doubt that the leading economic powers around the world now understand the significant risks of climate change and appreciate that the best way to minimise the dangers is by investing in a low-carbon economy. The process I started in Gleneagles has had a major impact and no one now doubts the need for action. The question is how.

"That's what my work with the Climate Group is trying to answer: to build a consensus on a new and comprehensive international climate policy framework. And we are at a pivotal moment. The world is signed up to a process that will culminate in Copenhagen in December.

"The good news is that President Obama has put the issue at the centre of his first term and the Chinese government have made an unprecedented commitment to act.

"But these are really tough challenges: challenges to do with technical questions around cap and trade; challenges to do with the balance between what countries like America do, countries like China do; and of course, the challenge of the economic crisis.

"I firmly believe that while many issues remain to be agreed, it is possible to find a fair and effective political solution. I am working hard to articulate some of the key building blocks necessary to achieve the solution the world so desperately and urgently needs to see.

"This event is an important contribution to the overall debate. For anyone interested in the politics of climate change it is a must."

Combining interactive plenary and roundtable discussions, the conference will also address how in the global recession policymakers and business stakeholders can build long-term political support for a low-carbon transition, mitigate serious energy security concerns, and ensure that a low-carbon society does not precipitate and entrench new inequalities.